Mary Diza Bautista

Mary Bautista passed away peacefully on June 13, 2022 at the age of 94 years old in her home at Carson, California. She was the beloved wife of her late husband, Catalino Bautista.
Mary Bautista was born in Cagayan, Philippines on July 22, 1927 to Santiago Diza and Magdalenna Castro. She had 5 brothers: Crispin, Gerardo, Marcos, Eulalio, and Dionicio.
Mary graduated from North Western University in Ilocos Norte, Philippines majoring in Secretarial Science. She married Catalino Bautista and moved to Hawaii in 1960. Her husband worked in Pearl Harbor while she worked at the local Frito Lay factory until 1989. She loved the Filipino-Hawaiian community and took up harvesting the local watercress fields of Aiea.

After retiring at the age of 62, Mary moved to California to help raise her one and only grandson, Jason. Mary enjoyed playing weekend mahjong nights with her friends and cousins.
Mary Bautista was active in St. Philomena Parish Church. She would volunteer to clean after the 8am mass. She enjoyed traveling with the St. Philomena tour group and considered Fr. Demi a true friend. The group of 30 would travel around Europe and The Holy Land in the Summers. Her favorite moments were sharing the joy of travel with her grandson, Jason.

In the early 1990’s Mary joined the local senior citizen community and danced Filipino Folklore, forming the group The Philippine International Choral and Dance Ensemble of Carson. She made numerous friends and gracefully danced the Pandango Sa Ilaw (The Dance of Candles). She had lifelong friends in the group and remained an active member until she was 84 years old. She was the last of the founding members to retire.

At the age of 85, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Even though she suffered from this debilitating disease, she was still active in the senior community… going to luncheons and social dances. She frequented the local casinos and even visited Hawaii in 2010. Mary loved a good slot machine and would take secret trips to the local Southern Californian Casino’s which picked her up at St. Philomena’s parking lot. She claims she was always lucky.

By the age of 92 she was semi-bed ridden and was cared for by her trustworthy caregivers. Mary Bautista enjoyed watching Hawaii 5-0, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. When she had the strength, she would stand by her window and watch the people pass by from her second story window overlooking Avalon Boulevard. She was known to greet people who caught her gaze by saying, ‘God Bless You’ with a friendly smile. Until the very end, she would always be the gracious host, ask you to take a seat and share a meal with you. Feeding people, was Mary’s love language.

On the morning of June 13, her daughter, Evelyn, sat by her side as she took her final breathes. She was tired from a lifetime of teaching lessons, sharing laughter with others and giving love to everyone around her… she wanted to be back with her departed husband, Catalino. With her final breath, Mary looked at her daughter, Evelyn and faintly said, ‘I Love You.’

She is survived by her only child, Evelyn; her Son-In-Law, Ed; and her only grandson, Jason.




Visitation: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/authorise.php?k=1655607522190890

Funeral Service: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/authorise.php?k=1655607827190891

Committal Service: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/authorise.php?k=1655608226190892