Our beloved matriarch, Marcelina Esther Lazo, passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 29, 2023, in Leander, Texas. She will be remembered for her adventurous spirit, her enthusiastic embrace of all things new and innovative, and her enduring love of family.

Marcelina was born in 1929 in Los Angeles, California, to Maximo Ibañez and Eluteria Awing, and was later raised in San Francisco by her stepfather, Antonio Taylan Valencia. She attended Balboa High School and City College of San Francisco, and worked in accounting and data processing early in her professional career. She later became an Assistant Vice President of University Savings and Loan in Austin, Texas. Always on the go, even after retiring, she continued working for the Austin Convention Center well into her 80s.

In 1950, she married Serafin Lazo, Jr. (deceased) and accompanied him to Japan, where he was stationed at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka. After returning to the United States with their two young daughters, they lived in Los Angeles, where they had three more children. The family moved to Round Rock, Texas, in the 70s. She was later divorced and never remarried.

Marcelina loved watching college football and was an avid USC Trojans fan, as both her former husband and eldest daughter were USC alumni. She added the UW Huskies to her must-watch list when her grandson, Nigel, attended the University of Washington.

She embraced an active lifestyle, enjoying the outdoors, playing tennis, going camping and hiking; and if there was a dance floor nearby, you’d probably find her on it. Later in life, she even became an athlete, running the inaugural Cap10K in Austin, a feat she repeated by walking it several times. She went on to participate with her family in other events such as the Zilker Relays and a triathlon relay at SeaWorld in San Antonio. When her family gathered in Austin for the Cap10K to celebrate her 90th birthday, she was featured in the Austin American-Statesman, who quoted her as saying her “legs just want to move.”

Marcelina enjoyed going out to see live music in Austin with her daughter Jody and son-in-law Roscoe Beck, and her musical tastes were diverse. She especially enjoyed the Wednesday Night Jazz Meetings at the Cactus Cafe on the UT campus hosted by Rabbi Neil Blumhof and she wouldn’t miss an Eric Johnson show. Every so often she would sit down at the piano and delight her family with a tune.

Marcelina was the very definition of an immaculately groomed clothes horse. She also excelled in domestic arts, showcasing her proficiency as a prolific knitter and crochet enthusiast. Additionally, she was an accomplished cook, sharing her expertise by teaching her family how to prepare her favorite Filipino dishes. As her entire family would attest, she never encountered a kitchen gadget she didn't love.

Marcelina is survived by five children: daughters Alysia (Michael) Korelc, Vanessa (Peter) Greaves, Jody (Roscoe) Beck, Phyllis Lazo Anderson (Wendell Wilmoth), and son Marcus (Elizabeth) Lazo; six grandchildren: Justin (Stacy) Korelc, Sean Korelc, Mika (Doug) Warner, Lauren Lazo, Nigel Greaves, Ian Anderson, and step grandson Charlie Beck; and two great grandsons: Tiago and JJ Korelc. She was preceded in death by her brother, Antonio Awing Valencia.

Marcelina’s surviving family finds comfort in her final words, “We had a fun day.” 

Every flower will remind us of you.

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