Perfecta De Leon Garcia Landicho

Perfecta De Leon Garcia was born on February 18th, 1928 in Batangas, Philippines. Her childhood was one of frequent travel - every 2-3 years - through the various Filipino provinces where she learned the local dialects and customs. Her father, Miguel Yuzon Garcia, graduated with an engineering degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and built roads and bridges throughout the Philippines. After the end of WWII, Perfecta moved to Manila where she graduated high school from Assumption Convent and earned a BA in Music specializing in Piano from St. Scholastica College. At the University of the Philippines, she continued pursuing her education, completing a BA in Sociology and a BA in Anthropology. It was there that she met her husband-to-be, Mariano Cuasay Landicho, who was pursuing a BA and Masters in Political Science - Foreign Service. After graduation from the University of the Philippines, she travelled to Lafayette, Indiana to earn a Masters in Psychology from Purdue University and shortly thereafter, was lecturing and teaching at the University of the Philippines and Mapua Institute of Technology. After her Manila wedding to Mariano in 1955, Perfecta joined him on his Philippine Foreign Service assignments, first in Hong Kong, the former British Colony, then Paris, France, where she gave birth to five children: Michel, Landy, Gina, Val and Del. Afterwards, they were assigned to Madrid, Spain for seven years, with their children enrolled in Spanish elementary schools. Their next assignment was to their Philippine home base for four years, followed by Seattle, WA, where the family lived from 1975 to 1983. They loved and were loved by the Seattle Filipino-American community. Perfecta was especially proud to have seen all of her five children graduate from college, each one earning their college degree from the University of Washington. Home assignment to Manila, Philippines was followed by Houston, TX, capping their diplomatic/consular life style as retirement years ensued. Settling down in Seattle, WA, Perfecta lived out the rest of her life as "Lola Pitang" to her seven grandchildren, from birth through college years, encouraging them to focus on their studies and helping them to develop into the responsible adults they are today. For years, she remained active as a Seattle Assumption Parish pianist, choir member, Charismatic Prayer Group member, and Eucharistic Minister. When health permitted, she embarked on several world-wide excursions visiting foreign lands and friends abroad, including Australia, Peru, Italy (and many other parts of Europe), Russia, and Israel, to name a few. As her mobility declined with age, she indulged herself in tending her Seattle rose garden, pampering a multitude of blooming indoor orchids, watching the Filipino TV Channel and NBA basketball, and maintaining an active, central communication role with family relatives in the US and around the world. Perfecta's siblings who preceded her in death are Fernando Garcia and Dolores Garcia Romero. She is survived by her sister Francisca Garcia Vergara.