In the early morning of Saturday, March 18, 2023, Eusterio Velasco passed away peacefully. In his final months, he spent precious time with his family, ate what he wanted, watched his favorite shows, and celebrated a milestone 90th birthday.

Tito was born in Ternate, Cavite, Philippines to Gorgonio Velasco and Josefa Santos Velasco, on December 8, 1932. He was 2nd of 10 siblings, born after eldest Horado, followed by Danilo, Hannibal, Moises, Jorge, Celso, Ruben, Flor, and Cirio. He grew up in Paco, Manila where his father worked at the University of the Philippines, Manila as an auditor.

In 1948, Lolo Gorgonio transferred to the newly opened University of the Philippines, Visayas in Iloilo. It was there that Eusterio met the love of his life, Sylvia. The Velascos rented the downstairs from Lolo Domingo, a house we still own on Mapa Street, Mandurriao. Dad graduated high school from UP Visayas and, shortly after, moved back to Manila to work and study.

Eusterio received his BA from Southeastern College in Mathematics and a MA in Statistics from the University of the Philippines and returned to Iloilo to marry his sweetheart on April 18, 1959. Sylvia and Tito settled in Pasay City and had their first child, Nolen in 1960, followed by Ronel (1962), Michael (1964), and Ariel (1967). Lolo Tito enjoyed spending time with his 6 Grandchildren Nolen (JR), Nathan, Nicolen, Natasha, Malia, and Keana. In his final months, he was overjoyed to spend time with 4 Great Grandchildren, Kaydence, Mathew (MJ), Miles, and baby Jazlene. They really made him smile.

Dad worked for over 20 years at Philippine Airlines in Pasay, working from the ground up, eventually working as a senior statistician. In 1973, our parents boldly decided to immigrate to the United States. The boys will always be indebted to Sylvia and Tito for that decision changed all their lives for the better.

Mom and Dad worked several jobs upon arriving in the United States. Dad could accurately type over 75 words per minute and got a job doing data entry on mainframes. During nights he was a security guard. He worked odd jobs during the first couple of years in the U.S., including as a social worker for the City and County of San Francisco and as a statistician for the State of California and the U.S. Federal Govt.

Eventually, Tito got a job with the city as a statistician, besting hundreds of applicants, and scoring highest in a standards test. He first worked for PUC, Water Department where he used math to predict rainfall and allocate water to various city agencies. He also worked for Muni (Municipal Railway now SFMTA), where he worked on scheduling and maintenance. He retired in 1997 from the City and started traveling the world with Sylvia.

Dad had many hobbies and was the life of the party. Tito could play several instruments, the harmonica being his favorite. He had an incredible singing voice, and his greatest performance was at their 80th and 82nd birthday party in Iloilo, serenading his love to Sylvia, in front of many family and friends. Along with music, Tito was an avid tennis player. He would easily beat opponents much younger than him, including his children. Until retirement, he meticulously attended to his bonsai plants and spent many weekends with Sylvia at flea markets and second-hand stores looking for bargains.

Eusterio is reunited with his love Sylvia, beloved son Nolen, parents Gorgonio and Josefa, and brothers Jong Jong, Danny, Eseng, and Ruben.

A memorial will be held at the Cypress Memorial Chapel in Colma, CA on April 7th, 2023 starting at 9am. Please contact Ariel @ 650.743.9740 for further details.

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