Justiniana Sagisi Jacinto

JUSTINIANA S. JACINTO
OUR BELOVED “MAMANG”
September 5, 1926 – January 27, 2021

Obituary
Justiniana Sagisi Jacinto (Mamang) was born on September 5, 1926 in Kauai, Hawaii to Estanislao Sagisi and Eustacia Gaoiran. She grew up in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, Philippines and is the eldest of 10 children. After surviving the many tragedies of WWII, which greatly impacted her family, she persevered and went to university. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Northwestern University, Laoag, in 1946. While at university, she met her husband, Serapio Arucan, who Mamang referred to as, “the love of her life.” They married in 1947. After graduating, she and Serapio moved to Cullalabo, Isabela where she taught elementary school. They had 3 children.
In 1965 Serapio passed away abruptly. Heartbroken, Mamang suddenly became a single mother and eventually made the difficult decision to emigrate from the Philippines to pursue better opportunities for her and her family. In 1968 she immigrated to California with her mother, Eustacia, and her youngest child, Odette. Her two sons and their families joined her shortly after. In order to support her family Mamang worked multiple jobs as an assembler at various companies in the electronics industry. Between all the work she still found time to go to church, have meals with her kids and support her many friends and family. Mamang remarried in 1970 to Johnny Jacinto (deceased 2014) and they proudly bought their first house and later moved into their second house; the house that Mamang would eventually pass away in. Her grandkids will tell you how fondly they remember the fishing adventures and house parties with “mama” and “papa.”
In 1992 she retired from Signetics Corporation, and after decades of sacrifice, could finally enjoy the success of all her children. She quickly began doing even more fishing, gardening and playing with her grandkids.
Mamang was a devout Christian. Even in the weeks prior to her passing she continued to listen to the Sunday morning church service. Aside from being a woman of God, Mamang was a loving and giving person; a person who loved everything about life. She loved: the food (especially the food...pinakbet, marungay, 7-layer burritos, and ice cream), being outside and fishing, sewing, conversing with people, shipping away her things in balikbayan boxes, going on trips and road-trips, being active (walking almost every day), staying informed with politics (she was ecstatic to witness the Biden/Harris inauguration), and planting anything that could grow a root (her persimmons were adored by hundreds!) and being with family.
Loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and sister, Mamang is survived by her children: Nestor (Lucrecia), Bert (Mila), Odette (William), Olivia and Christian Jay; her grandchildren: Nestor Jr., Redd Jay, Dino, Tatiana (Simon), Simone and Troy; her great-grandchildren: Alicia, Daniel Justo, Noah, Malokai and Jaxen; and her siblings: Herminia, Vicenta, Venancia, Diego, Caridad and Eulogia.
She is preceded in death by her parents Estanislao Sagisi and Eustacia Gaoiran, her first husband Serapio Arucan, her second husband Johnny Jacinto, and her 3 siblings Federico Sagisi, Gregorio Sagisi, and Anatalia Dacanay.
Mamang passed peacefully and was surrounded by her beloved family members. She will be missed dearly and will always be in our hearts.