My partner co emcee in Garlicky Reunion in Gilroy.
Always a gentleman.
A man of many talents: emceeing, dancing and singing.
He left behind her better half Edna and only son Josh.
I sat with them in December of 2019 at the Wacks Christmas Party. They were moving into Porter Ranch so I jokingly said, we will have the next Christmas party at their home.
He had just retired from the Post Ofice and had survived ALS.
You will be forever missed Nel , watch over your family and us....
I didn’t know Nel back then until the group we fondly called West Coast Wackadoos invited me to join the group about 17 years ago. The group always gets together -- whether it is mini or a large reunion -- another batchmate visiting from other parts of the world, birthdays, weddings of children and grandchildren, housewarming, Christmas, summer barbecue, and any excuse you can think of just to get together. Several of these gatherings were held at the Matias’ home in Sun Valley. This became our “party house.” Nel made sure that everyone felt welcomed and had a wonderful time – food and entertainment galore. He even prepped their Sun Valley home by cleaning it from top to bottom and so pristine looking. You can even see the super straight-lined traces of vacuum cleaner on their carpet! I assure you – he did a better job than any housekeeper I have had in my entire life!
As I began to reach out for the right words to express my thoughts about Nel, I remember how devoted he was to his God, first and foremost, and to his wife, Edna, and his only son Josh. He loved them more than anything in the world.
I also remember what a talented musician Nel was – he played the guitar and was a great singer. He would also make it a point to entertain us with songs and play the guitar whenever we get together. Oh and by the way, he was also quite a dancer! He was the one who taught us the September by Earth, Wind and Fire line dance and a couple of other line dances.
He served the Lord through his music ministry. He would excuse himself for not attending or coming in late from some of our get togethers due to choir practice or prayer meetings or bible studies. He was a devout Catholic. Nel would always lead us in prayer whenever we get together. I remembered that Nel and Edna and a small group of batchmates visited all 21 missions in California to give thanks to our Lord as he continuously and miraculously overcome the symptoms of ALS. Despite this rare disorder and the poor prognosis for ALS patients, our Lord allowed Nel to live a sort of normal life – he was able to continue his job at the Post Office where he spent 30 years I think, right Edna? Even when these last few years, I remember him saying -- he had to wear a finger brace because he cannot move one or two fingers so he had to wear the brace to allow his hand to function normal. He was also able to play the guitar and continue with his music ministry—with a little difficulty of course.
Nel was very generous. I remember him hosting a few of our parties because he simply wanted to share his financial blessings. He was very generous of his love for friends. I am sure that Virgil Aluyen, Rod Mariano, Monchu Syquia, Rene Sagles, Alex Espinosa, and Jun Alalay and several of our male batchmates can attest to this. Nel was one batchmate who would tell me “I love you” after every telephone conversation or before parting when we saw each other or got together. He was very generous of his time, he makes sure he is involved in any planning for our group’s outings or get togethers or reunions.
Nel, it is very hard to say goodbye so we will just say so-long. The pages of your book will never be closed, just as the pages of my brother and our other batchmates who have gone before us.
We will remember you through the batchmates still left behind whose lives you touched. We will miss you, but we will always remember you with respect, admiration and love, always, always!
Mine would have been in 1971, I guess. Nel was in the canteen strumming his guitar and singing random songs. He moved into some pieces from musicals and I started to sing with him. He moved to another song, and another song, and some more and somehow I knew all the songs. He then said: "Wow, you'll be a great member of a singing group!" That's how I became a member of Liquid Smoke.
Erlinda Castro (Aquino)
Dear Nel,
My partner co emcee in Garlicky Reunion in Gilroy.
Always a gentleman.
A man of many talents: emceeing, dancing and singing.
He left behind her better half Edna and only son Josh.
I sat with them in December of 2019 at the Wacks Christmas Party. They were moving into Porter Ranch so I jokingly said, we will have the next Christmas party at their home.
He had just retired from the Post Ofice and had survived ALS.
You will be forever missed Nel , watch over your family and us....
Thanks for the memories..
Joy Villavicencio (Roque)
I didn’t know Nel back then until the group we fondly called West Coast Wackadoos invited me to join the group about 17 years ago. The group always gets together -- whether it is mini or a large reunion -- another batchmate visiting from other parts of the world, birthdays, weddings of children and grandchildren, housewarming, Christmas, summer barbecue, and any excuse you can think of just to get together. Several of these gatherings were held at the Matias’ home in Sun Valley. This became our “party house.” Nel made sure that everyone felt welcomed and had a wonderful time – food and entertainment galore. He even prepped their Sun Valley home by cleaning it from top to bottom and so pristine looking. You can even see the super straight-lined traces of vacuum cleaner on their carpet! I assure you – he did a better job than any housekeeper I have had in my entire life!
As I began to reach out for the right words to express my thoughts about Nel, I remember how devoted he was to his God, first and foremost, and to his wife, Edna, and his only son Josh. He loved them more than anything in the world.
I also remember what a talented musician Nel was – he played the guitar and was a great singer. He would also make it a point to entertain us with songs and play the guitar whenever we get together. Oh and by the way, he was also quite a dancer! He was the one who taught us the September by Earth, Wind and Fire line dance and a couple of other line dances.
He served the Lord through his music ministry. He would excuse himself for not attending or coming in late from some of our get togethers due to choir practice or prayer meetings or bible studies. He was a devout Catholic. Nel would always lead us in prayer whenever we get together. I remembered that Nel and Edna and a small group of batchmates visited all 21 missions in California to give thanks to our Lord as he continuously and miraculously overcome the symptoms of ALS. Despite this rare disorder and the poor prognosis for ALS patients, our Lord allowed Nel to live a sort of normal life – he was able to continue his job at the Post Office where he spent 30 years I think, right Edna? Even when these last few years, I remember him saying -- he had to wear a finger brace because he cannot move one or two fingers so he had to wear the brace to allow his hand to function normal. He was also able to play the guitar and continue with his music ministry—with a little difficulty of course.
Nel was very generous. I remember him hosting a few of our parties because he simply wanted to share his financial blessings. He was very generous of his love for friends. I am sure that Virgil Aluyen, Rod Mariano, Monchu Syquia, Rene Sagles, Alex Espinosa, and Jun Alalay and several of our male batchmates can attest to this. Nel was one batchmate who would tell me “I love you” after every telephone conversation or before parting when we saw each other or got together. He was very generous of his time, he makes sure he is involved in any planning for our group’s outings or get togethers or reunions.
Nel, it is very hard to say goodbye so we will just say so-long. The pages of your book will never be closed, just as the pages of my brother and our other batchmates who have gone before us.
We will remember you through the batchmates still left behind whose lives you touched. We will miss you, but we will always remember you with respect, admiration and love, always, always!
Jet Bautista
Such wonderful tributes to a truly great guy!
Everyone has fond memories of Nel.
Mine would have been in 1971, I guess. Nel was in the canteen strumming his guitar and singing random songs. He moved into some pieces from musicals and I started to sing with him. He moved to another song, and another song, and some more and somehow I knew all the songs. He then said: "Wow, you'll be a great member of a singing group!" That's how I became a member of Liquid Smoke.
More importantly, a friend of Nel.