"Angelina Gutierrez Thank you Carol for sharing your many blessings to me since I first met you with your husband, my brother Lenny in 1968 until my final visit with you in 2017. I have beautiful memories of your warm hospitality, your insightful comments, your exciting stories of your travels and your kindness to me, which made me feel that I'm your little sister. I appreciated your thoughtful visits with me during my many years in Boston, your presence in all our family get togethers in the Philippines, Honolulu & California plus my visits with you in Arizona & Texas. God reward abundantly your faithfulness as a wife, a mother, a grandmother & my sister-in-law."
In loving memory of
Carolina Calaycay Gutierrez
January 9, 1927 - April 13, 2021
After a lifetime of travel, Carolina Calaycay Gutierrez, aged 94, passed on April 13, 2021 of old age. Born in Laoag City, Philippines on January 9, 1927, she went to Laoag public schools for elementary/high school education and later got her BS Education in 1949 from Santo Tomas University in the Philippines. Later in 1953, Carolina crossed the Pacific Ocean to get her graduate degree from the University of Detroit. In 1955, she completed an MA in Education continued her studies at Wayne State University for a doctorate in Education and Counseling. In the summer of 1956, Carolina met Leonardo Gutierrez, a working civil engineer and part-time student for his PhD from the University of Michigan. Carolina and Leonardo were married in 1957, and had two children Rene and Sandi. Between 1957 -1997 they lived in 5 states and 10 countries where Leonardo provided technical assistance in international water supply and wastewater projects. Most of their projects included cities like Ann Arbor, MI; Harrisburg, PA; San Diego, CA; Rio de Janeiro, BZ, Ankara, TR; Taipei, TW; Lahore, PK; Boston, MA, Singapore, SG; Manila, RP; Cairo, EG, Scottsdale, AZ; Istanbul, TR, and Amman, JO. Carolina and Leonardo retired to Phoenix, AZ in 1997. For twenty years in AZ, they moved to Austin, Texas for their 20th and final move.
Ever organized and systematic, Carolina's focus was always the family and the home. She was a prolific seamstress and a consummate shopper with a sharp eye for a bargain. Quiet in a crowd, Carolina preferred to observe rather than draw attention to herself. She was fiercely loyal, extremely resilient, and tough in surprising ways. She was observant and confident in her own realm with a quirky sense of humor. Even though her final years were physically challenging and her memory unreliable, my mother always attempted to express her appreciation and gratitude to her husband and family.
Carolina Calaycay Gutierrez is survived by her husband, Leonardo Villapando Gutierrez Jr., her children Rene Gutierrez and Sandi Heimsath; grandchildren Kristin Marker and her husband Colin, Benton Heimsath and his wife Peggy, and Andrew Heimsath and his wife Clara; and great grandchildren Alan and Holly Marker, and Vera Heimsath. Their fourth great-grandchild is expected in December 2021.
Tributes
"I?m so thankful for the years we had and sorrowful for the future years lost. I miss you, Lola."
"Although you have passed on, your memories will live on within us. So thankful we had you in our lives. We miss you greatly. "
"We love you, Lola, and we miss you. "
"My Lola was amazing with the sewing machine and was the most talented whistler I have ever known. I am so glad my children were able to spend time with her in her final years. Love always."
"I always enjoyed the time I got to spend with Carolina. She was a superb cook and a gracious welcoming host. In her later years, after she let others do the cooking, when we put our feet under the same table I was always warmed by her glowing eyes and sweet smile. I miss her."
"We will miss your infectious energy and presence. We know you?re smiling down on us "
"World traveler, masterful gardener, pet whisperer, we miss you, Mommy! I still hear your chuckling laugh and see your winning smile."
"Our beloved mother/wife/grandmother/great grandmother passed away gently on April 13, 2021. We are so blessed to have been present for the final stage of my mother's long life. "