Eufemia Andaya Manalo

Eufemia Andaya Manalo (“Miami”, “Mia”, “Mimi") was born in a little community of Malinao Ilaya in the municipality of Atimonan in the province of Quezon, Philippines on September 3, 1947. Her parents, Fabiana Andaya Manalo and Vitaliano Velasco Manalo, had eight children. She had three brothers: Felix, Mario, and Domingo. She had 4 sisters: Aurora, Elena, Rizalina, and Aida. Miami was the second from the youngest.

Growing up in a large family, Miami learned to collaborate. When Miami was still a child, the Manalos moved to Lucena, Quezon. They assembled furniture together in their house. A few years later, they relocated to the Bicol region at Santa Catalina, Camarines Norte. She woke up early to tend to the family sugarcane plantation. Her youngest brother, Mingoey, would guide a carabao-powered mill to grind the sugarcane into syrup. Because her attention to detail produced the perfect consistency, their father trusted Miami with the crucial responsibility of mixing the syrup to produce panutsa.

Miami applied that diligence to her education. After graduating with honors from Calauag High School, she enrolled at Philippine Union College (now known as Adventist University of the Philippines). She worked as a lab assistant for the Chemistry department, earned enough to cover tuition, and maintained her place on the Dean's List. Upon graduating with her B.S. in Medical Technology, she worked at the laboratory at the Manila Sanitarium and Hospital (now known as the Adventist Medical Center Manila). She was a devout member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Miami had an adventurous spirit. In the 1980s, she relocated to Kuwait to work as a medical technologist. While stationed there, she vacationed around Europe and the Middle East with all-expenses paid, courtesy of the employee benefits given by the hospital. She gathered souvenirs from her travels which would later adorn her home. Perhaps her most valued treasure, though, was her kidney transplant from her brother, Mingoey; his sacrifice for his beloved sister blessed her with 33 more years of life.

After the Persian Gulf War began in 1990, Miami moved to the United States. She lived with her older brother, Mario, and his family in Bellflower, California. Soon after, she moved into her own apartment in Burbank, California, and then purchased a condo in Glendale, California in 1996. She eventually bought a new construction home in Yucaipa, California in 2003. At multiple points in her various homes, she generously housed her nieces as they pursued their education, her sisters and cousin in their retirement, and church members. Miami worked in various laboratories throughout Southern California. Her longest employment was with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Loma Linda, California. After more than a decade of service, she retired around 2018.

During her retirement, Miami enjoyed watching teleseryas on TFC, celebrating her nieces' and nephews' milestones, and playing Word Blitz. Occasionally, she continued to travel by taking precautions to adhere to her dialysis schedule. This spring, she accompanied her niece, Sunddie, on a 3-week trip in the Philippines.

Miami passed away on May 17, 2023, leaving behind memories of her love for God, family, and the world. True to her name ("Eufemia" is Greek for "well-spoken"), she was an enthusiastic storyteller. Let us celebrate her life by sharing stories of her intelligence, adventures, resilience, and generosity.