Ernesto Cayton Policarpio's Obituary
Ernesto Cayton Policarpio a.k.a Erning or Ernie was born on May 4, 1938 in San Joaquin, Pasig, Rizal, Philippines to Jose S. Policarpio and Juliana A. Cayton. The third child in a family of seven, namely: Agueda, Conrado, Amelia, Federico, Julita, and Mario.
Erning lived in Nueva Vizcaya as a boy during World War II and witnessed the cruelty of war in the Phiippines. As a single young man he raised chickens, and inherited his Mom’s personality and qualities of being patient, industrious and responsible. One can count on his fingers, instances when he got mad. This man never cursed or used profanity to or against anybody.
After landing a job in manufacturing at United Laboratories, Inc. (Unilab), Erning married Anacorita “Anita” Callos on January 2, 1964 in Malinao, Albay, Bicol, Philippines. This was a very unforgettable day for he got married with swollen face and a missing tooth because of a fight at a dance party the night before. They were blessed with seven children, namely: Ernest, Tyrone, George, Tita, Raquel, Charles, and Revie.
Erning was always so fond of his kid brother Mario. Mario was always the first to get a Christmas gift because whenever Erning received his bonus, he would take him to Quiapo for him to choose whatever gift he wanted which Mario always looked forward to. He helped put his two younger siblings to college. Also, put himself to school and finished Law at Letran de Manila as a Varsity swimmer and did his bar reviews at University of Manila while working at the same time. “Attorney” as they called him and Anita sent their children to college.
During his prime, he was Unilab’s endurance swimmer swimming for 11 ½ hours non-stop. He was also a constant table tennis champion. Once married, he enjoyed planting coconut and “malunggay” trees, shined shoes, and grated coconuts during weekends. He easily fell asleep anytime he sat down. He was a great barber. He loved food and dining out and gained the title “One-day Millionaire.”
He was a very compassionate, kind, and caring person. He would share even the last money to whoever was in need even if he ended up with just water for his break time and walked to and from work and school. His legacy was to have one child in every family of his kin graduate college.
From a humble laborer, Erning groomed himself into a popular legal assistant at the same pharmaceutical company he worked for 30 years. One of the thrills he brought to his family was when he appeared and won the arm wrestling on a noon time show “Student Canteen” on TV.
Erning and Anita migrated to the USA on November 2, 1991 and took care of their grandchildren while working odd jobs. He fell in love working as a custodian at Tacoma News Tribune until he retired on September, 2015. He was a loving and endearing caregiver to his wife, Anita, when the latter fell ill in 2010. He was always joking, happy, and smiling, as if the glass is always half full. Erning remained brave as a widower for seven years, battling diabetes and heart problem until he peacefully joined our Creator on January 31, 2018 in Tacoma, Washington. He’s now free and with his head up, proud to face our Creator.
By Mario Cayton Policarpio and Tita Policarpio-Huddleston
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