Remedios Tumlos Obituary

It has been my complete honor to know and spend time with such a beautiful, admirable woman who I proudly called Tita Remy.



Not only was she incredibly gracious but she enjoyed life; she could frequently be found singing at the parties at my mom's house.



She always spoke lovingly of her family and was incredibly proud of her children, Edwin and Rachelle. Tita Remy was the love of Tito Eddy's life; it is only upon her passing that he is without a smile. May it comfort us all that she is loved by so many and that she is undoubtedly looking at us from Heaven.



Tito Eddy, Edwin and Rachelle, you're in our thoughts and prayers.



She is deeply missed.

Mrs. Tumlos was a gentle soul. She always greeted me with a big smile whenever I came over to the house to visit. Despite the ailments she endured throughout the years, her bright and positive attitude would lead you to believe that there were no ailments to speak of.



I will never forget her hospitality, her thoughfulness, her quiet and gentle demeanor, always making me feel at home whenever I stopped by to visit Edwin.



It comforts me to know that she is in a better place, knowing that Mrs. Tumlos is looking down on her family, making sure her presence is still felt by everyone who loved her.

Eulogy for Remedios D. Tumlos by her son Edwin at her 11/19/05 funeral mass:

Welcome, friends. On behalf of my dad, Eddie, and sister, Rachelle, I thank all of you for coming from the bottom of our hearts. Mom would have been so pleased to see you all here, not only to pay tribute in her name, but most importantly, to see everyone’s beautiful faces – our adopted families here in our adopted home. In fact, I’m sure she is watching us now with those lovely hazel-colored almond-shaped eyes of hers, along with her ever-present smile.

Now if only I could capture in words the love and the spirit with which she lived her life and then be able to share it with you all in a matter of these short few minutes. I know it’s impossible, and though whatever I say cannot possibly encompass her entire life, I can almost hear her sheepishly say, “Go on. Just no embarrassing stories,” as she turns a shade of blush that you wouldn’t think possible from her perfect olive-toned skin.

So allow me to share with you now an all too brief history of my mother in the hopes that each of you will get an even deeper glimpse of just what a special woman she truly was.

Born on the 22nd day of September in 1940, Remedios Diego Tumlos was a woman of humble upbringing. She was filled with immeasurable loyalty, deep moral values, and steadfast beliefs with an undying love for her family.

Here was a woman whose greatest pleasures in life came from the little things. Be it going out on weekends to Gurnee Mills with my dad, taking short trips with the entire family anywhere, tending her garden and flowers, visits from her long time friends, phone calls from her relatives back home, attending to our dogs, and the chance to spend holidays together with those she loved so much. These were just a few of the things that mattered most to her.

Just to watch her joy for living while overcoming several physical challenges for decades taught me so very much about how to live my own life. She was the perfect wife to my dad, and a wonderful mother to my sister and I. She was our family’s strength, and nothing I know of can compare to her dedication to us. But there were so many more things that this lovely woman has taught me, taught all of us, that how can one even begin to say, “Thank you”?

Why her taking care of her brothers and sisters when her mother passed away at an early age alone is a remarkable feat that serves as a template on how one should care for family. Here was a woman who not only put herself through college, but she also helped her siblings get on their feet as well – and continues to support them to this day. Then, in conjunction with my dad, she helped establish a home for my sister and I here in Chicago. We may have been without relatives in a foreign land, but thanks to our caring friends, who we now consider a part of our family, we were never alone. She even forgoed her elementary school teaching career, which she enjoyed, to come to America to help build a better life and future for her family.

But her tenure at Brach’s here in Chicago was cut short due to a stroke she suffered 23 years ago. It caused a partial paralysis to the right side of her entire body. It’s a testament to her will power that she overcame her speech impediment from the illness – although she never was able to regain her beautiful singing voice, her handwriting difficulties because she had to learn to write left handed – although she never was able to regain her lovely penmanship, and her walking disability – although she never was able to fully regain her graceful step.

My mother may have gotten frustrated at her situation at times, but she never complained, and she never lost her faith. But sometimes, I would see tears well up in her eyes, and she nearly broke my heart when once she confided in me that she didn’t want to be a burden on us. Can you believe that? The woman who gave me life, the same person who provided for me all these years and helped me become the person that I am, telling me this? I did not want to hear any of that nonsense! Neither would my sister, and certainly not the man who was the love of her life, my father, who would do anything for her.

And then, as if she didn’t have enough challenges, three years ago, my mother was stricken ill with breast cancer. That scared her – that scared us. But like the survivor that she was, she overcame another life-threatening challenge because she loved life, and she loved her family. As I drove my mom to her scheduled check-ups from time to time, I could sense her apprehension. But, as she continually received “good news” from her test results, we would celebrate by having a simple lunch at a nearby restaurant and talk as if nothing was wrong with the world.

But two weeks ago, just three days after her physician declared her cancer-free, my mother was inexplicably struck with an aneurysm that ruptured. We thought that she would win this fight like she has the others. Although the prognosis was not good, we knew that God was on our side. But a week later, it was evident that God had other plans. I guess he didn’t want her to have to take ten pills daily just to maintain her health anymore. And I guess he needed to add another special person to his team of angels to watch over us during these troubled times.

This was my mother - a woman of God, a woman of love, and a woman of strength; in short, a beautiful person inside and out with a heart of gold.

For me, I am blessed because whenever I want to remember my mom to the fullest, I just have to dream about the things I know her best by. Her trademark Filipino egg rolls that everybody loved, our periodic family pilgrimages to Holy Hill, the way she supported me in everything that I did, and perhaps most of all, our recent date on her birthday to the Chicago Botanical Garden where we spent the day marveling at the flowers and the beauty of nature. I loved her smile, and I loved to see her smile. She smiled a lot that day.

Now I would like to say a word just to you, Mom. I know that God will keep you safe as you join your mother and father, your brother, Uncle Jerry, and sister, Auntie Aurora. This is not good-bye, just good luck on your new life with God and the loved ones you’ve lost. You have touched so many lives, Mom, and we all miss you. But I know we’ll be together again because you’ve taught us how to live and how to love the right way.

I love you! Dad loves you! Rachelle loves you! Your darling puppies, Dirby and Bootz, love you! And all your friends at your wake yesterday, here at church today, and your friends and family back home love you!

You will be forever in our hearts and in our minds. Thank you for blessing us with your warmth and goodness, and for enriching our lives by being a visage of hope, and a visage of the Holy Mother of God for our family. Mom…you are home!

Eddie and family, May the many loving memories of your wife, Remedios and mother, keep you smiling during this time of sorrow. As the days go by you will keep remembering wonderful things you all did and you will smile. May God Bless you and keep you all strong and safe in His loving care. My prayers and loving thoughts are with you. Patti (work)