Filomena A. Viernes

Filomena A. Viernes at the age 81, peacefully passed away in the morning of March 14th, 2022 after a brief illness at the Long Island Jewish Hospital.

Filomena was born on May 22, 1940 in Palali Norte, Santa Lucia Ilocos Sur Philippines. Her parents were Clementia and Martin Acosta. She was the third among their four children. Her siblings were Rosita Durana, Eugenio Acosta and Manuel Acosta. Her elder sister would describe her as someone who worked hard and was kind and generous to everyone around her.

She graduated high school at Santa Lucia Academy school in 1955, where she met her loving husband, the late Mardonio H. Viernes. They secretly dated for a long time and eventually married in 1964. Their love blossomed and they were blessed with five children: Robert, Rosalie, Mardonio Jr., Zenaida and Cecille. Filomena loved her children dearly and would do anything for them. To find better opportunities, their family moved to Sampaloc, Manila in the late 1960s. There, she worked as the babysitter for an American family and would also help at her husband's tailoring business. In 1992, she migrated to the United States of America, with her husband and two daughters, Cece and Zenaida. Filomena was able to find a stable job working as a cook at a restaurant called “Cindy's.” Together with her husband, they were able to bring their sons, Robert, Mardonio Jr., and grandchildren to the U.S.

During the time that she worked at Cindy's she also had another fulltime job as the chef at their household. Filomena loved cooking for her family. She would always be the first one to wake up and make sure that her grandkids had something to eat before going to school. Even on days where she was tired from work, she would still make dinner for her family. On the weekends, whenever her husband comes home from his job upstate, she would cook and pack him food that is good for the whole week. Her favorite foods to cook were adobo, giniling and bistek. Her siopaos, and brazo de mercedes were also famous in her household.

Filomena’s hobbies consisted of walking, cleaning, and of course shopping with her daughters. Filomena enjoyed collecting plants and gardening. She also loved going to the hair salon and dying her hair brown along with a bob cut. Her favorite place to shop was Tanger Outlets. She would walk miles around her neighborhood to get her exercise in. She used to walk from home to work everyday and would drop off her grandkids to school along the way. Filomena also loved cleaning. Everyday, she made sure to clean their house and encourage her grandkids to do the same. She was always the last one in the kitchen making sure that everything was washed and put away.

Filomena was a selfless, kind and generous wife, mother and grandmother. She loved her family dearly, and did everything for them. She made sure that her children were always fed, and voluntarily washed her family’s clothes. She was the glue that kept her family together. She was a God fearing woman. Her favorite places to eat were Chinese Buffets and Dim Sum. Sesame balls were her go-to treats. She was also an avid supporter of the late President Marcos of the Philippines. She loved reading the newspaper and she was a true fan of the Yankees.

Filomena will always be remembered as loveable, friendly, caring, determined and devotional. Filomena led by example on what a true mother should be. She would always tell her grandchildren to do the right thing. She was a true supporter of her children’s passions and careers. She was undoubtedly the best cook of the Viernes household. Her physical capabilities were unmatched. Filomena also loved animals. She was a proud owner of two dogs whom she treated like her children, Sashi and Bugsi. Despite her dementia, Filomena never failed to show acts of kindness and unconditional love.

Now at her passing, her survivors include her three children, Rosalie, Mardonio Jr., and Zenaida; her grandchildren, Chrissa Anne, Ashley, John, Alyssa, Nina, Mark, Ana Mae, Daniel, Aaron and Steven Filomena’s Obituary Jr. She was preceded in death by her husband, Mardonio Sr. her two children, Cece and Robert and her granddaughter, Mary Kylie.

She will always be loved and truly be missed

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