Celerina "Sally" Esteban Namnama's Obituary
Celerina Esteban Namnama
(May 28, 1940 – March 20, 2024)
Celerina “Sally” Esteban Namnama, 83, of Ainaloa, died March 20 in home hospice in Hawaiian Paradise Park. She was a retired registered nurse who was born in the Philippines and lived and worked in Honolulu and northern New Jersey before retiring with her husband, Liborio, to Hawaii Island after decades of hard work and sacrifice.
Her funeral mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Pahoa on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 10:30 AM and her graveside service and burial at Homelani Cemetery in Hilo at 1:00 PM on Saturday, April 13, 2024.
She is survived by her daughter Sarah Namnama Saria (Robert) of Gold River, California; son Melvin Namnama (Mayra) of Hawaiian Paradise Park; brothers Roger (Cora), Del (Mercy), and Douglas Esteban of Honolulu; sister Adele Alcones of Hollister, California; cousins; grandchildren Lauren and Matthew Saria of California and Megan, Nicholas, and Victoria Namnama of New Jersey; and nieces and nephews.
Sally had a green thumb and loved to garden. Her home in Ainaloa is surrounded by native plants, flowers, and fruit trees. She never met a plant she could not propagate, and she was happy to teach others how to care for plants and trees. She liked to crochet scarves and afghans for family, friends, and members of the military. She also enjoyed retail therapy in the form of window shopping and bargain hunting. Her pets in Ainaloa included her dogs Kimo, Kakini, Yogi, and Miss Mini, and her cats Brownie and White Cat.
She drew comfort, hope, and strength from her faith, and her love and care for her family and friends included devoted prayers for their health and wellbeing.
Sally was gentle and kind, slow to anger, always willing to forgive, generous to a fault, and always ready to share a smile and a laugh with anyone blessed enough to meet her. Her family will miss their matriarch but will celebrate her life and keep her memory by following her hard working, kind, and loving example.
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