Avelino Guerzon Saarenas' Obituary
Avelino "Loy" Saarenas of Tacoma, passed away peacefully at home Sept. 15, 2008 at the age of 68. Surrounded by family and friends, he ended his 9 month battle against cancer. Born Nov. 10, 1939 in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines to Antonio and Eufracia Saarenas, Loy spent his early years of life living in the Philippines where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Commerce from Ateneo de Cagayan and also met his beloved wife of 46 years, Amelita. Sweethearts for life, they had 4 children before leaving the Philippines. In 1970, Loy and family moved to Tacoma, WA. Loy spent 16 years working for Asarco and then moved on to work another 16 years for Pierce Transit, where he retired in Nov. 2006. His passion for helping others was always apparent in his daily life. Loy was awarded the honor of OService Excellence Award' for extraordinary life saving efforts and providing critical aide to a citizen in need. In addition, friends that worked with Loy would say he was a man of patience and punctuality. Perhaps his greatest legacy is his relationship with Amelita and his family. He is remembered as a selfless, kind, jovial husband and father. His grandchildren have valued their short time with him and will always remember his example of integrity and hard-work. His hobbies included playing Mahjong, home-improvements, and watching sports-especially his Seahawks! He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife, Amelita, four children B Araceli (Eric Swenddal), Gina (Carleton Reed), Roberto (Robyn Saarenas), and Emily (Eric Hiatt), along with 10 grandchildren B Tyler, Jordan, Samantha, Aden, Ethan, Addie, Nathan, Alexandra, Matthew, and Benjamin, along with sister, Angie Guieb. He was preceded in death by son Allen, dad Antonio, mom Eufracia and sister Aurora. Celebration of life will be held Sat., Sept. 20, 2008 at Holy Rosary in Tacoma at 11am. Burial and reception to follow at Mountain View Memorial Park located at 4100 Steilacoom Blvd. S.W., Lakewood, WA.
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