Agripina Garvida Vea's Obituary
Mom was blessed with a long and wonderful life. At 98 years old, her mind was keen and
expressed her desire to reach 100 years if the Lord so willed. When asked how old she was,
she would say 100 minus 2. She started saying this since her 95th birthday. We had a
countdown every year since then.
Agripina G. Vea was born in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, on May 5, 1922. She married
Pedro B. Vea, an elementary school teacher, on her 18th birthday on May 5, 1940, after a
romantic courtship consisting of daily love letters. They did not date in the Philippines back
then. A year later, they had a baby boy named Pedro Jr. on June 28, 1941. Then Dad went off
to war in the Philippine Army and left Mom home. It was a trying time for them to say the least.
After the war, Dad joined the United States Army as did many other soldiers who fought with
the Americans under General Douglas MacArthur.
At the end of July 1946, a baby girl came along and they named her Elena (known as Ena
growing up and Ellen since 1962). Eight years later, another son, Manuel Raymundo
(commonly called Ray by family and friends), joined the family on December 2, 1954. Dad
brought Pedro Jr. to the United States in 1958. Less than three years later, the rest of the
family migrated to the United States in the spring of 1961, landing first at Travis Air Force Base,
California, then riding a Greyhound bus to Fort Lewis, Washington, where Dad was stationed.
Pedro Jr. remained in Stockton, California.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest was an adventurous experience for Mom. She was used to
the warm climate of the tropics rather than the cold rainy weather in Washington; however, she
adjusted to her new life in the United States with great enthusiasm. She and Dad met new
friends, a lot of Filipino families in the military especially living at the base in Fort Lewis. She
was a very good cook, and frequently had people over for a meal.
She started her career as hospital attendant at Western State Hospital in Lakewood in 1965.
Her patients loved her and would ask for her to give them their injections because she was so
gentle with them. She enjoyed her work and people she worked with. She retired after 17
years when Dad retired. She loved to travel. She and Dad went back to the Philippines and
later after Dad passed away, she visited several times to see family and friends. She and Dad
had the privilege to tour different countries in Europe given by family and friends living there
and bringing home souvenirs. She liked beautiful things like her Gucci watch and sunglasses
from Rome. A discerning shopper, she was always well dressed and received compliments
frequently. She was always hunting for good buys. While Dad was gone on his army duties,
Mom saved enough money to put a down payment on their house. It was a good find because
she lived in the same house for almost 54 years.
Mom belonged to the Church of Christ (Iglesia Ni Cristo) for a long time. She was one of the
pioneers in establishing the church in Seattle first, then in the Tacoma area. She became a
deaconess and remained as one until her death. She was loved by many in her church.
She was preceded in death by Dad on April 2, 1994, and my older brother, Pedro Jr. on
January 31, 2020. She is survived by 24 family members: Pedro Jr.’s family: his wife, Rose,
daughter Arlene Mullinax and husband John, grandchildren Julianna and Joshua, son Myron
and wife Stephanie; son Kenneth, grandsons Aidan and Kai and their Mom Hillary; Ellen Himes,
husband Dennis, sons Richard and David, wife Tracy, grandchildren Jonah, Elliot and Daisy;
Ray, wife Kitty, son Tanner, husband Matt, and son Spencer.
Mom’s legacy will live on in our hearts and minds. She was kind and loving, but also a
disciplinarian and firm in many ways. She helped many people during her lifetime. She was
very religious, but at the end, I believe she put her trust in Jesus, who only is the Savior to
reach God, her Father in heaven.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, services are limited to invitation only. Please join us for a live webcast of Aripina's service October 31st at 1:00pm via the link below. Family and friends who are not able to join us virtually at that time are welcome to view the service recording via the same link at their convenience.
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