Obituaries

Violeta D. Nacional, 85, of Newark, passed away in Fremont on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Violeta is survived by her brothers and sisters: Linda (Charn), Rudolfo (Letty), Emma (Vir), Maria Leda (Fred), and Dan (Teri) in addition to numerous beloved nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and grand-nephews. She was predeceased by her loving husband Pedro, her parents, and her brother Nelson and sister Carmen.

Violeta, known as Violy, was born in Miagao, Iloilo, (Philippines) on September 23, 1936 to Narcisa (Gimeno) and Gregorio Duran. She attended Iloilo City College to study Commerce. In 1956, she married a handsome U.S. sergeant major named Pedro Nacional whom she met through his sister when he was visiting his family nearby. They settled in Newark, CA that same year in a beautiful 3-bedroom home with a great garden where she spent many hours growing alugbati, lemons, and lots of flowers. With Pedro, she gained her first taste of traveling as his job took him around internationally.

Violeta loved life and celebrating it. She enjoyed throwing big backyard parties where she equally enjoyed winning at blackjack and laughing with her family and friends. In fact, she threw an 80th birthday bash where the rest of her family is still recovering from the abundance of food and good times. When she could, she loved going on cruise tours with those same loved ones to Europe and Asia, visiting countries such as Russia, Netherlands, Italy, and of course the Philippines. When at home, she could be found shopping at Macy’s (and other designer stores), making joking quips like “No money, no honey!”, and showing her newest shopping finds to anyone near her.

Visitation will be held from 1pm-5pm on Sunday, July 24th with a Vigil Service starting at 3pm at Fremont Memorial Chapel, 3723 Peralta Blvd., Fremont, 94536. A Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, July 25th, 10am at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 37588 Fremont Blvd., Fremont, 94536. A burial to follow at Irvington Memorial Cemetery in Fremont.