Carmen DeLeon Mamaril

Carmen DeLeon Mamaril, age 79, from Oak Harbor, Wash., died peacefully at Skagit Valley Hospital Wednesday, July 3, 2013, surrounded by her loving family and closest friends.

She has chosen to go home to be with Jesus Christ!

Affectionately referred to as Nanay Carmen, Carmen was born in Las Pinas, Rizal, Republic of the Philippines, on Aug. 17, 1933, to Federico DeLeon and Juana Bautista.

At the age of 8, she was injured by shrapnel during the invasion of the Philippines by the Imperial Japanese Army.

She married Vicente Eclar Mamaril on Jan. 28, 1962, and both were residents of Subic, Zambales, Republic of the Philippines, until joining their daughter Gerlie and son-in-law Charles in 1996 at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan.

Nanay Carmen devotedly carried out her duties as head bagger for the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) until 2005 when the family was transferred to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, where her oldest daughter Maria Victoria and her husband Tom Buerger were residing.

Nanay Carmen is survived by her husband Vicente Eclar Mamaril and her daughters Maria Victoria and Gerlie, both from Oak Harbor. Maria Victoria is a Real Estate Agent for Coldwell Banker Tara Properties and is married to Tommy D. Buerger, who retired from the U.S. Navy.

Gerlie is a Member Service Representative for Navy Federal Credit Union and is married to Charles A. Bond, who is a Command Master Chief in the U.S. Navy.

Her grandchildren Charles, Richard and James Nicholas will miss her dearly.

She is also survived by her older brother Protacio DeLeon of Carson, California, younger brother Jesus DeLeon of Las Pinas, Metro Manila, Philippines, her younger sister Remedios DeLeon Mabasa of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and their loving families.

Nanay Carmen is preceded in death by her parents Federico and Juana, her brothers Moises, Sosemo and Demetrio, and her sisters Leonila and Loreta, all from the Philippines.

The family wishes to publicly thank Dr. CJ Kuan of North Sound Kidney Physicians, her attending physician Dr. Orgul, her neurologist Dr. Strack, Justin Bennett of DaVita Dialysis Center, and the entire ICU staff at Skagit Valley Hospital, especially Tami, Flora, Kunny and Heidi.

A funeral mass was celebrated at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Oak Harbor on Saturday, July 6, 2013 ,with Rites Of Committal at Maple Leaf Cemetery on Tuesday, July 9, 2013.