Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Adelaida Cruz was the oldest child born to Eunice and Arcadio Cruz in Morong, in the province of Rizal, Philippines, in 1929. She was known as either "Ida" or "Adeling" and she had four siblings: August, Araceli, Arleen, and Adolfus. Arleen was her best friend. Both Ida's culture and her parents had a great influence on her caring spirit in life. Raised Catholic, she grew up during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Before the war, the family owned a movie theater and restaurant. But, the business was bombed during the war and they lost everything. As a result, Ida worked at a young age to help support the family. The family sold fruits and vegetables and they also washed clothes for the American GIs to make money. Ida was a good student in school. She graduated from high school and wanted to go to medical school, but there was no money. So, she studied to be a midwife instead. She didn't have to be a nurse to be a midwife, so she went on to deliver many babies in the rural areas creating a business for herself. She also went into the poultry feed business right before immigrating. For fun, Ida loved spending time with her many friends. She especially enjoyed going dancing with her friends, dancing to the music of the 40's and early 50's. As she loved to dance, swing was a favorite.

Ida welcomed the birth of her first child, born in the Philippines. She named her Andrea. She loved having a daughter. A few years later, she met a Filipino man named Ben Ventura who was working in the United States. In 1959, the couple married in a small church ceremony. Andrea was young and her grandmother didn't want her to leave the Philippines, so she stayed with the family. The couple moved to the San Francisco area of California and started their new life together. A year later, the couple was pleased with the birth of their son, Anthony. She loved both of her children. Andrea lived with her grandmother in the Philippines until she was 18, when she joined the family in the United States. Ida always encouraged Andrea to succeed, as she attended both her nursing school and graduate school graduations.

While Ben worked at a restaurant, Ida worked in the office of an insurance company. As a couple, they really became partners in life with a true commitment of working together. When Ben became a janitor, he worked nights while she worked days, so one parent could always be home with Tony. As a mother, Ida was very supportive of her children but also strict. She believed in being organized and kept an immaculate house. Even her closet was organized as she kept her shoes in the original boxes. She was also organized about her appearance, as her hair was always perfect. While living in San Francisco, Ida and Ben belonged to Filipino groups. At Filipino fiestas, 300 to 400 people would attend. When people moved to the area from the Philippines, they welcomed people to stay at their home as they adjusted, got their green card and sent for their wife and children. It was a way of life as they helped other people. Ida was a rare person for serving so many other people, helping them to settle into a new life. Ida became a citizen of the United States in the 1960's and she was very proud of earning her citizenship. Over the years, she always made the time to visit her relatives often in the Philippines as she cared greatly about all of them. And, she also made a point to protect her son from what was going on in San Francisco during the late 60's and early 70's. Tony spent a month living in Los Angeles with his aunt and uncle. It was by Ida's design, that he would be sheltered from the "Summer of Love," the protests against Vietnam in San Francisco, and what first generation immigrants were experiencing.

While in San Francisco, she spent a lot of time with long-time friend and confidante Prima Francisco. Known as Aunt Prima to the family, they enjoyed many shopping trips together. Ida earned her Cosmetology license in San Francisco. She had a friend who had a great in-home beauty service and joined the business. As a result, Ida worked for elite women of San Francisco, cutting and styling hair. She went into homes and hospitals to make women beautiful, helping them to feel good about themselves. It grew into her own business, as she also helped another friend get started. When Ben was working as a janitor, he injured his back. As his job provided medical insurance for the entire family, Ida was hired into the company and eventually took his job. She was a hard worker, who never complained and basically did what needed to be done to help support the family. Her life was one of service and serving others.

In 1980, the family moved to the Los Angeles area. Ben had already retired, but Ida switched careers a few times. The job market was tough, so she started baking, as she made Filipino pastries, selling them to restaurants and stores. Later, she worked in an electronics firm that manufactured computer chips and she worked at Northrop. Before retiring, she also worked for five years in quality control for a company that made pacemakers. In 1989, Ida faced the loss of her husband, Ben, when he died unexpectedly. She was very lonely, as they had been married for 30 years. She moved to Santa Clarita first, to be close to her son, Tony. She was very proud of her independence and ability to support herself. She downsized to a condo, a townhouse, and later she lived in apartments, where she continued to keep everything organized. When she was diagnosed with diabetes ten years ago, she took a diabetes education class. Ida was the perfect student, as she followed everything. She stayed true to the diet and lost 20 to 30 pounds and she recorded her blood sugars regularly. She made great friends with Robyn Weiner, who was the educator of the class. Ida and Robyn were inseparable as they enjoyed lunches and time spent together. They were very close friends. Ida also became good friends with Rebecca, one of her neighbors in her most recent apartment building.

As a retired person, Ida recognized that this country doesn't treat old people that well and she was unhappy with the healthcare and Medicare systems. She listened to the campaigns and was unhappy with the rhetoric. She connected with the words spoken by Barack Obama. She believed so much in his message that she began campaigning on his behalf with her friends. She was so happy to see him be elected. As she spoke to her daughter by phone, she asked, "Are you watching the coverage of the election?" She was excited about the prospect of change for the elderly.

In revisiting Ida's life, her resilient nature was apparent. While she worked many jobs over the years and oftentimes adapted to change, she also faced health issues ranging from open heart surgery in 1962, battling breast cancer in 1970, recovering from injuries in a car accident in the early 1990's to a diagnosis of diabetes in 1998. She was not a complainer, but instead she took challenges as they came and dealt with each one. Ida was ahead of her time in adapting to change, making the best of every situation. After she retired, she relaxed into the times with dignity and grace.

When the grandchildren came, Ida was thrilled at the birth of each one: Heather, Nick, and Garrett. They called her "Grandma" and she loved them so very much. She was both a loving and encouraging Grandma. She spent a lot of time with Cheryl, Heather, and Nick. She always attended Grandparent's Day when the kids were in elementary school. She loved to go to Heather's softball games. When Heather could drive, she took Grandma to her doctor appointments. Ida used to meet Heather on her lunch breaks and she heard many stories about her friends. Ida was also close to Heather's Grandma Lorraine, as the two ladies made Easter baskets together and decorated big cookies with designs. Ida and Grandma Lorraine also went to Chinatown together to go shopping. Heather remembers when she went shopping with Grandma Ida, she would talk to everyone and make friends. Even when they went into a store, she made friends with strangers and they'd exchange phone numbers. Since moving to Las Vegas, Heather called her Grandma every week to see how she was doing. Nick remembers she also helped make dishes of food when they celebrated ethnic food day at school. When Nick earned his driver's license, he became her driver, taking her to lunches in downtown LA or driving her to meet friends. He also drove her to a lot of funerals so she could pay her final respects as is customary. They had a very special relationship as Nick remembers she loved sharing stories and he enjoyed hearing every one. Nick got his first speeding ticket while going 95 on the 5 Freeway, at the exact same spot where Ida got a speeding ticket in 1967.

Ida had many favorites in life. She loved the Christmas holiday, which was a big holiday celebrated in the Philippines. The focus was on family gathering together, instead of presents. She loved cooking a combination of American and Filipino foods. Thanksgiving was another holiday she liked visiting with her son or daughter's families. Ida enjoyed watching her favorite television shows: Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. In fact, when a friend of Ida's cared for Bob Barker's wife, she and her friend attended the Price is Right. They sat in the front row and then went back stage so Ida could meet Bob Barker. She enjoyed the music of the 40's and 50's such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Vic Damone, and Dionne Warwick. Ida especially enjoyed watching her Korean soap operas. She liked reading paperback books and murder mysteries. Even though she was an awesome cook, she enjoyed going to different themed restaurants with friends to experience diverse cuisines. Her favorite was Fho, a Vietnamese restaurant. She and her friends also enjoyed Thai food and sushi. She liked flowers and her favorite color was yellow. Ida loved to shop with her girlfriends and enjoyed a good bargain. She loved decorating as her homes were tastefully put together and immaculately clean. She loved to cook and entertain, as she kept in touch with friends and family by spending hours on the phone. She loved visiting the Philippines, but also traveled to Europe, Canada, and she cruised to Alaska and Mexico.

Ida made an impression on others, as she made friends easily. When she went to New York to spend time with relatives, she spent time by herself sight-seeing. With a great ability to make friends, she met a lady at the Museum of Art. Together, they visited the Empire State Building and bought tickets from a scalper to attend a show by the famous Rockettes. On 9/11, she was flying home from the Philippines when her plane was diverted to San Francisco and grounded. She made friends with a lady from Oregon on the plane and invited her to stay at her home until she could get a flight out. The women kept in touch and Ida visited her family in Oregon and enjoyed a cruise to Alaska with the family a few years ago.

Ida's last Christmas in 2008 was spent with family in the Philippines, along with her daughter, Andrea, and grandsons Garrett and Nick. She said it was the happiest Christmas in her life. Family in the Philippines made a video of the gathering. It was her dream trip fulfilled, as she wanted to take her grandchildren to the Philippines. In fact, she planned the trip for a long time to spend a full month in the Philippines. Her grandson, Garrett, spent two weeks, while her grandson, Nick, stayed for three weeks over the holiday vacation. It was a wonderful time, creating many memories. She took the grandchildren to visit her hometown where she grew up. When the grandchildren left the Philippines to return to the United States, she hugged them goodbye.

Ida's purpose was to be in service to others her entire life. She will be best remembered for unconditional love for her family, as she hugged and said "I love you," often to her grandchildren. She was truly young at heart and enjoyed life. Impeccably dressed for every occasion, Ida was a beautiful woman who was graceful, very welcoming and an incredible host. Andrea will miss talking to her mother at 8 pm, five days a week. They'd chat about her lunches with friends, her Korean soap operas, and medical appointments. Ida liked to check on Andrea, Garrett and their cats. Andrea smiles as she remembers they had to finish the conversation before 8:30 pm, so her mother could watch her favorite Korean soap operas. Tony will miss his mother's smile and generous reassurance. He will remember her as a wonderful mother and grandmother. Heather will miss the phone calls every week with her Grandma and knowing she was there for her. As her Grandma was always dressed up and took care of herself, Heather has been motivated to take good care of herself just like Ida. She is reminded every day how much her Grandma cared about her. Nick has many happy memories of spending time with his Grandma. She taught him how to cook and spent time with him. Nick will miss being able to vent to his Grandma, because she was such a wonderful listener. He also realizes that they had so much in common and share many similarities in their way of thinking. There are so many memories now. Ida liked taking her grandchildren to the Philippines. She even took them to a small, little Island where they had a wonderful time. She believed in God and Heaven saying, "I pray in my own way." The family feels she is now at peace.

Ida recently told her grandson, Nick, that when she dies he should take a photo of her when he travels around the world so she could be there. In honoring her wishes, Ida was cremated and her ashes will be laid to rest next to her husband.

Adelaida was preceded in death by her husband Ben; parents Eunice and Arcadio; and her brothers August and Adolfus. She is remembered by her daughter Andrea; son Anthony; grandchildren Heather, Nicholas, and Garrett; siblings Araceli and Arleen; close friends Robyn and Rebecca; many extended relatives in the Philippines and United States; and the wonderful friends she created in her community and on her travels around the world.

Memorial donations are welcome in her name to the American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.org.

Adelaida Cruz Ventura will always be remembered with a smile…

In a message to her family and friends, the following poem was found in Adelaida's phone book after her passing:

Miss Me, But Let Me Go

When I come to the
end of the road
and the sun has set for me
I want no rites
In a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free.

Miss me a little,
but not too long
and not with your
head bowed low
Remember the love
that we once shared
Miss me, but let me go

For this is the journey
that we all must take
and each must go alone
It's all a part of
the Master's plan
A step on the road to home.

So when you are alone
and sick of heart
Go to the friends we know
and bury your sorrows
in doing good deeds
Miss me, but let me go.