Dad passed away peacefully at St. Joseph’s Health Centre on February
27, 2006. He was the devoted husband of Dr. Maria A. deVilla and the
loving father of me and my sister and Eileen and father-in-law to my
wife Wendy and Eileen’s husband Richard. He was also the beloved
grandfather of Aidan, Nicholas, and Ryan, who knew him as “Dodo” (their
mispronounciation of the Tagalog word for grandfather, lolo) and the adored brother to Thelma Leelin, Regina Morabe, Elizabeth de Villa and the late Scarlet Santos.
Born in San Juan, Batangas, Philippines, he studied at Ateneo de Manila and the
University of the Philippines. He trained in the U.S. then lived and
practiced in Toronto for over 30 years.
Dad was a friendly, outgoing, and generous man. He was devoted to
work and family and was a pillar of the community, playing key roles in
the Filipino Centre Toronto and the Filipino Canadian Medical
Association. He touched the lives of the many patients he cared for as
an obstetrician-gynecologist to the many friends and associates who
sought his wise counsel, and to his family who love him and will miss
him dearly.
[Thanks to Rannie "Photojunkie" Turingan for the photo.]
The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century will return to its regular blogging schedule on Monday, March 13th.
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Stay strong. You seem to have had good training, there. All the best to your family from ours.
i’m so sorry joey. My condolences to you and your family.
-corina
Very sorry for your loss Joey. My thoughts are with you man.
– Will
Deep condolences. May you be comforted among your fellow mourners.
Joey, I’m so sorry to read this news. It comes through so clearly in this blog what a fantastic family you have and how much love you all share. My sincere condolences to all of you.
Joey, my heart goes out to you. Love. Martino.
Ride on.
My condolences on your loss.
-Jamie (JB’s Warehouse)
My deepest sympathy to you and your family.
– Melanie / chandrasutra
Joey, I am so sorry for your loss. I always admired your father. I have heard from other people that he was very much respected in Toronto’s Filipino and medical communities. This was definitely before his time. I will always remember how hip and young he seemed, and his dry sense of humor.
Ryan M.
Love to you and your family, Jo. We’re so sorry for your loss. Best, Ashley
My sympathies, Joey and Wendy.
–arcane
Dear Joey
I am so sorry for your loss.
I never met your father,
but I feel a familiarity with him through your blog.
For many of your readers,
I think your dad represented our own fathers,
and our relationships with our fathers.
… and in that,
your loss is shared by all of us.
You and Wendy are in all of our thoughts
Love
Carson
I was shocked this morning to fire up your site and see this first posting. It’s so hard to get through these times. My father passed away just over a month ago, tragically drowned while on vacation. Not a day goes by when I’m not thinking about him and just wishing for one more day. I’m sure you’re going through the same. It’s hard, but the saying is true…each day gets a little bit easier. I’ll be thinking of you and your family.
http://www.blainekendall.com
Joey – as a regular reader of your blog I feel I have gotten a glimpse of knowing you and your family a bit. I am very sorry for your loss. Your father sounds like a fantastic guy.
I’ll say a little prayer for you all.
Thank G-d he got to see your wedding!
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
cm
My most heartfelt condolences, Joey. He got to see you and Wendy get married – I’m sure this was a great source of joy to him. My prayers go out to you and your family.
My most sincere condolences to you and your family at this time.
Joshua Day
Roanoke, VA USA
Regular anonymous reader here- my condolences, Joey.
Another avid reader but first time to make a comment. My deepest condolences to yourself, Wendy, family and friends. Your Dad sounds like he was an amazing man.
Thank you so much for opening your world up ~ I used to live and work in the area that Tocows in locatd before moving to Los Angeles. Thanks for not making Toronto seem so far away at time.
Thanks again!!
My prayers are with you to give you strength. I’m very sorry for your loss. Let me send this poem, “I cannot halt the hands of time, nor live again the past, though in my heart are memories that will forever last”.
My condolences on your loss.
Sorry to hear about your father’s passing, Joey – my sincerest condolences to you and your family.
– Hamish Grant
Joey,
I’m sorry to hear about the passing of your father. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.
I am in the “don’t really know you” category, but I have seen you at critical mass rides and am a big fan of your blog.
Please accept my sincere condolences.
I am in Beijing today and saw a woman with an accordion (no case) in her bike basket.
of course I thought of you.
best regards
Lisa R-R
Joey – I can’t even imagine. So sorry.
What a handsome man! My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family Joey.
Kim – Bacon and Ehs
Hey Joey. I don’t post often but do frequent your blog as much as I can. I was truly saddened to see this post just now. I wish you and your family strength and togetherness through these times. Through the many posts you made about your father, I would appreciate more his sense of humor, affable personality, and contributions to community. My prayers go out to you and your family, and will include much gratitude for the positive presence that your father gave to the world around him.
Hi Joey,
Haven’t had a chance to read your blog in a while, as I was at a conference in Spain. Anyways, like everyone has said before, my condolences to your family. It is an extremely difficult time, but you can take comfort that your dad is now in a better place. God bless you and your family.
the good always die young, like my mom and dad. they were both lovely, honest people.
so many angry, jerky people live long lives. it just doesn’t seem fair.
keep your head up Joey.
The Spammer
I have often enjoyed the warm way you write about your family, and I offer my family’s prayers for your loss.
-Will E., “just a blog-reader”
I’m very saddened to hear about your father, Joey – my thoughts and well wishes go to you and your family.
My heartfelt condolences to you and yours, Joey.
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