Juliana Bonifacio Halili

The purpose of life is not to be happy but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all- Leo Rosten

Such is the life that Juliana Halili or “Julie” as she was fondly called have lived. She was born 79 years ago on February 7 in Pampanga, a province in the Philippines. She was the third child to Lorenzo Bonifacio and Ester Bustos, both farmers.

At a young age, she was sent to live with her father’s uncle - Pedro Cabrera and loving wife Maria Soto for a few years. A decision that had life changing consequences not just to her but to her parents’ and siblings’ lives as well as their children’s children.

Knowing from such a young age, how empowering it is to sacrifice in order to help and change the lives of future generations -she made sure she did everything she could to help others. She was a seamstress and a cook by trade. Both skills helped enable her to help provide for family and friends who needed help.

She shared a minuscule apartment with her late husband Pepito and their children in Manila and always made it available for relatives and friends who needs a place to stay for doctors and hospital visits, job interviews, school breaks, and anything else that need to be taken care of in the city. The practice of opening her home to others who need help continued on, even when she and her family moved to the US.

She passed on May 7, 2022 (Mother’s Day Philippine time) at Bethesda North Hospital in Cincinnati, OH due to complications related to her kidney failure and chronic heart condition. She was surrounded by her family at the time of her passing.

She is survived by her children Precious and husband Mark, Suzzette and her husband Ernesto, her son Eric and his wife Nikki, her pride and joy - grandchildren Samantha, Tricia, Sabrina, Mateo and baby as well as her loving brother Fidel, sisters Celina, Carmen, Elena, Rosario and youngest brother Domingo, their spouses, cousins, nieces, nephews and relatives.