Birth date: May 1, 1940 Death date: Aug 5, 2022
Jeremias Valencia Canlas Sr. went to be with the Lord on August 5th, 2022. He was born in the Philippines on May 1, 1940 to Geronimo Canlas Sr. & Angela Canlas. He completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was a devoted Read Obituary
Jeremias V. Canlas “Tito Ruming”
May 1,1940 - August 5,2022
When I was a little girl, my family would go almost every year to my Lola’s (grandmother’s) house on Christmas Day & celebrate with my Titos & Titas (uncles & aunts). And as typical Filipino families gather together, there was plenty of food, gifts, games and entertainment with singing & dancing.
When it was my turn to sing, my Tito Ruming would request
“A Million Thanks” by the famous Filipino singer Pilita Corrales.
I did my best to sing like her and I think he liked it because he would give me an extra 25 centavos to sing another song.
Tito Ruming, as we fondly called him, moved to the USA with his wife, Linda, & their children in the 80’s. I wrote him almost every summer when I was growing up. He never forgot to answer & was generous to send Christmas presents.
After medical school, I moved to New York City for my residency training.
When I saw Tito Ruming (first time in a long time), he brought with him an article from FEU (Far Eastern University) newsletter with my name as a graduate. He said he showed it to all of his friends & proudly told them that “she is my niece”.
He helped my sister and I settle into our apartment in the city.
One time, he went out of his way & drove to the city in the middle of the night to console me & gave me advise when I was so down & broken-hearted.
He was a kind and caring Tito to me.
Tito Ruming & Tita Linda had 4 children.
They lived in New Hyde Park in New York for several years.
He worked as a lead engineer at Fordham University & Sloan Kettering.
He worked hard, provided & supported his family.
He gave them a comfortable life.
He enjoyed cooking for his family, always added a “pinch of love “ for every meal he prepared for them.
Later, they moved to Florida where he continued to work for the University in Gainesville and later retired.
As years went by, we visited & communicated with each other.
We talked about our children, our hopes & dreams for them.
Each time, he offered words of wisdom to live by.
Several years ago, my Tito Ruming developed Alzheimer’s Dementia.
Tita Linda & his children took care of him very well.
But even when his memory would go in & out, he would still recognize me.
During our conversations, he liked to recount his childhood & how grateful he was to his parents for motivating him to finish college.
He also mentioned Bert, my father & his older brother, and how he loved him!
He told me he wasn’t “ready to go yet” as he had been waiting for his first grandchild to be born.
True enough, after Stephanie (his only daughter) gave birth to Jaxson on July 30th, Tito Ruming passed away 6 days later.
Tito Ruming,
Thank you for showing me how to live an ordinary life in extraordinary ways;
Thank you for being patient with Bert, my father & your older brother, respecting him & loving him unconditionally.
Thank you for treating me like your own , I am forever grateful!
And just as I used to say when I was little , you are my most favorite Tito (uncle) in the whole wide world!
I hold you in my heart ❤️
Marissa
