Merita Cabigting Manalac's Obituary
Merita Cabigting Manalac, age 82, passed away on Sunday, August 20, 2023 in Tacoma, Washington. She was the first born of six children to Cenon and Florentina Cabigting in Arayat Pampanga, Philippines, born on July 29, 1941. Merita grew up in Caloocan City, Philippines, where her father was a farmer prior to WWII. Merita’s father was military-sponsored and deployed to O’ahu, Hawaii in 1960, where he immigrated with his entire family. The Cabigting family owned and operated a Filipino cuisine restaurant in downtown Honolulu in 1961 where Merita worked as a cashier; Merita also worked at the Dole Plantation.
Merita met and married her husband, Lorenzo Manalac, in Hawaii, and moved to New Jersey, where their son Ron was born. Soon after, the family moved to Washington state. In Washington, their two daughters were born, Carolyn and Mary Jane. Merita and her husband owned and operated the “Manalac Exotic Import” store in Tacoma, WA on South Tacoma Way. Initially, Merita was a stay-at-home mom providing love and focus to her children in their early formative years. In 1977 she started working at the Boeing Company where she excelled as a lead in manufacturing for over 26 years.
One of Merita’s fondest memories, as a young child, was dancing for her grandparents, Fidel and Maria, knowing that the louder they clapped the more she would dance. To those who know her, it’s believed this was the beginning of her lifelong love and passion for dancing.
Merita was well known by family and friends to be full of joy, love, compassion and generosity—family always came first for her. Merita especially enjoyed the fun-filled time she spent at her favorite clubs and organizations such as the Elks, KWA and AMVETS. Some of her favorite activities included dancing and playing bingo while she was there. She also cherished her time with family and relatives playing Mahjong, cooking for family gatherings and the occasional visit to Emerald Queen with her son Ron.
She is survived by her three children: Ron Manalac (Josie), Carolyn Romeo (Charlie), and Mary Jane Carrington (Mike); seven grandchildren: JJ, Brandon, Ronnie, Travis, Jaqueline, Brennan, Sierra; five great grandchildren: Nya, Jed, Hudson, Avery, Jesse; four siblings: Ruben, Ester, Rey, and Annalyn.
Funeral arrangements for Merita Cabigting Manalac have been faithfully entrusted to Mountain View Funeral Home, which is located at 4100 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood, WA, 98499, and can be reached at (253) 584-0252.
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