Eulogy by Grace Cayanan , daughter of Elizabeth Casupanan Cayanan

On behalf of our family, thank you all for being here today to celebrate the life of our beloved Mom, Elizabeth Cayanan.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who has joined us in person to be here with us. We also want to extend our appreciation to those who are joining us online. Your love, your prayers, offered Masses, kind messages, and most especially the presence of those who showed up for us throughout the years have been a great source of comfort to our family.

Tonight, we gather not to grieve Mom’s passing, but to celebrate the life she lived.

The past several weeks has been the hardest chapter of our lives. Today, 41 days have passed since our mom left us. In these 41 days, we have been learning how to navigate a world that feels so different without her. And for the first time, we are facing life without either of our parents here with us.

I was just 9 years old when we lost our dad. My brother Gerry was 6, and my sister Gen was only 4. From that moment on, Mom became everything to us. She was our constant. She was our strength and the one who held our family together. She filled both the roles of a mother and a father with endless love, sacrifice, and devotion.

Mom taught us what it meant to be strong. We all remember all the challenges we faced growing up. As a single parent, she showed us how love can carry a family through even the hardest moments. She showed us how to keep going when life was difficult, how to live simply and be grateful for what we had, and how to always share and care for others even when we ourselves were struggling.

As a grandmother, Mom absolutely adored and was so proud to all her grandchildren. With Bella, their bond was special. During the first two years of Bella’s life, Mom was the one who lovingly cared for her back in the Philippines. She was there during Bella’s formative years, giving my daughter the comfort, patience, and unconditional love that only a grandmother could give.

Although Bella may not remember every moment from that time, I know that the love and care Mom poured into her became part of the foundation of who she is today. All of Mom’s grandchildren were blessed to have a grandmother whose love, guidance, and kindness they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

When Mom got ill in 2019, our lives changed overnight. None of us could have imagined the road that lay ahead. On those 7 years, there were endless treatments, doctors’ appointments, surgery, hospital stays, moments when we wondered what would happen next.

But she held on and we held on with her. Because through every challenge, Mom showed incredible strength which came not only from within, but also from her deep faith in God. She trusted in His plan, found comfort in prayers, and held on to the belief that she was never walking through those difficult moments alone.

She never let her illness define who she was. Even on her hardest days, she continued to be the same loving mother who cared more about her family than herself. Her faith gave her peace, her love gave her purpose, and her courage inspired everyone around her.

Some of the things that everyone in our family will always remember about Mom is her cooking. It was one of her love languages, to cook your favorite food.

Of course, Mom had many dishes that our family loved. Some would say it was her pancit, her adobo, or her sinigang. But by far, I think everyone who knew her cooking would agree, that her asado was the clear winner. It was Bella’s favorite.

To this day, nothing can beat Mom’s asado. My husband and my brother are both wonderful cooks, and Mom even shared her recipe with them, hoping they could recreate it. They have come close, but somehow, it never tastes quite the same.

Maybe the secret ingredient was never just the recipe. Maybe it was the love she put into every meal she prepared.

Cooking was one of the ways Mom showed her love. She did not cook because she had to, seeing her family enjoy the food she prepared gave her a sense of purpose and made her feel fulfilled.

And of course, we cannot talk about Mom without talking about her love for karaoke. Like many Filipinos, Mom believed that every gathering needed a karaoke machine. A celebration was not complete without someone holding a microphone, and Mom was always ready to sing her favorite songs. In true Filipino fashion, she did not need a concert stage, a living room was more than enough.

Mom loved to look her best. She had a beautiful sense of style, and even the little things she chose reflected her confidence and personality. She always made an effort to look and feel her best. She found joy in the simple things that made her feel beautiful, confident, and happy.

Those little details may have seemed ordinary, but they were a reflection of who she was and they are now some of the things we will always remember about her.

One of those little things was painting her nails, always with white nail polish. It had to be white. And her earrings? They always had to be pearls.

Another was her favorite red (buh-ray) hat, which you can see here today. If you were able to watch the tribute video, you may have noticed that she wore that same red hat in so many of the photos and memories. It was truly one of her favorites and became such a special part of who she was. It reflected her vibrant personality, her confidence, and the joy she brought into the lives of those around her.

And now, as we placed her red hat on top of her urn, surrounded by white flowers a tribute to her favorite white nail polish it feels like we are honoring the woman she was: beautiful, strong, stylish, and full of life.

People often say that when someone passes away, they are now in a better place free from pain and suffering. But you never truly understand the meaning of losing someone until you experience that loss yourself.

Suddenly, the noisy and busy life we once knew comes to a stop. It is amazing how the smallest things can hold the biggest memories like the conversations, the laughter, and the little everyday moments. These were replaced by a quietness and stillness that we never noticed before.

Even the world outside seemed to become still the day she left us. No birds were chirping that morning, the trees stood quietly still, and even the sounds of children playing outside seemed so far away.

It is in that silence that we realized how their presence meant so much to us and how her absence has left a void in our lives.

Now that we are facing this goodbye, I can’t help but wish we had more time.

More time to have more conversations.

More time to create more memories.

More time to say how beautiful she was in the morning which would always make her smile.

But then I also know that the time we were given was a gift.

With all the time we’ve had with her, every piece of advice she shared, all her stories and the love she gave us was more than enough to last a lifetime.

One of the things I often think about is that I hope, during Mom’s final moments, she did not feel alone and that she felt at peace knowing how deeply she was loved and how grateful we are for every moment we were blessed to share with her.

To Mom, as we say our final goodbye, our hearts are heavy because we know we will no longer hear your voice, see your smile, or share the ordinary moments of life with you.

Your love will remain with us, and your memory will never fade. Your illness may have taken away your physical strength, but it never broke your spirit. You fought a long and difficult battle, and you fought it with so much strength. Your strength will always be one of the greatest things we will remember about you.

They say that grief is just love with no place to go. As we learn to navigate life without you, we will carry that love with us and let it guide the way we live. We will always be proud to be your children. We promise to honor you and to always carry with us the values you instilled in us. Everything you taught us, everything you gave us, and everything you stood for will live on through us.

And as difficult as it is to let you go, we find comfort in knowing that you are now with Daddy. Give Dad a hug for us. Say hi to Tatang Andong, Inang Goreng, and Auntie Tiktik, and tell them how much we miss them all.

Eulogy by Bella Orijola , grandchild of Elizabeth Casupanan Cayanan

My name is Bella Orijola, and I am Mommy Beth’s granddaughter.

Mommy Beth was a really strong woman. She lived for 78 years, and even when she was sick, she continued to be strong. She always cared for our family and tried her best to make everyone smile, not just our family, but even strangers and kids too.

She had a way of making every day brighter. To me, she was the most amazing grandma I could ever have. She was happy, loving, trustworthy, and simply the best of the best.

One of my favorite memories of Mommy Beth is coming home from school and seeing her cooking in the kitchen while her favorite music was playing. The kitchen always felt so lively and happy when she was there. Those are the moments I will always remember and treasure.

I miss her so much. I miss seeing her, hearing her music, and having her here with us. But I know that Mommy Beth is now in Heaven relaxing, resting peacefully without any pain.

I always see white butterflies outside now and I wonder is that you saying hi?

Mommy Beth, thank you for all the love, happiness, and beautiful memories you gave me. I will always carry you in my heart, and I will love and miss you forever.

I love you, Mommy Beth. 🤍