Jimmy's Story
Jimmy Habulan Jumoc was born on January 15, 1943 in Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental (Mindanao), Philippines to Othelio and Marina Jumoc. Nicknamed “Jim”, he was the 3rd youngest out of his 7 siblings. Because his upbringing did not allow for a stable and healthy environment, he lived a nomadic lifestyle living with several relatives and friends. This made Jim grow up fast and learn life the hard way.
At a young age, Jim worked many low paying jobs (road maintenance worker, logging worker, delivery boy, and a busboy at a restaurant) to earn enough to eat at least one meal a day. He graduated from Cagayan de Oro High School and studied auto mechanics from Yujuico Technical Institute in Manila in 1965. Eventually, Jim was able to find a better paying job as a private family driver for the owner of Mapua University in Manila. Jim was determined to find every opportunity to improve his life. Noela, his dear sister who shared the similar and difficult upbringing, provided him with a chance to make bigger and better strides in his life by petitioning him to come to America in 1972.
Coming to America was an exciting adventure with the hope of getting married and raising a family of his own. He worked at Laguna Honda Hospital in the laundry department, was a busboy for an American restaurant for a few years, and ultimately landed a job as a maintenance worker in 1976 at the Carillon Towers Apartments where he retired in 2006. He did all the electrical, plumbing, and maintenance tasks for 103 units in the 19-story tall building. This job did not come with any instruction as to how to do the job—he just did it and became the best at it. Eventually, Jim found the love of his life in Eva after initially being pen pals before going on very memorable dates. His kind, affectionate, humble, soft spoken, and reserved qualities captivated Eva and they married on February 24, 1976.
Although Jim achieved so much in his life, his proudest accomplishment was seeing both daughters graduate from University of San Francisco and become successful in their own careers. Christine graduated with a Bachelor in Exercise and Sports Science with a minor in Psychology and has been a Legal Specialist for 20 years. Cherrymae graduated with a Bachelor in the Science of Nursing and has been a registered nurse for 12 years having specialized in ER and now outpatient Cardiology.
Jim was a happy and lighthearted man. He was a tinkerer who loved taking apart things to only put them back together to figure out how something worked.
He was meticulous in documenting what he worked on by keeping a log and drawing diagrams to ensure that he had the specifics down to the T. As a handyman, he made sure every possible tool he needed were kept neatly organized. He loved working on his cars and valued caring for them with the utmost detail. He liked to dress well on occasions, keep his collection of watches cleaned and shoes polished. He was a handsome man and was often called the “Elvis Presley” of the Philippines by those in the town he grew up in. Playing and watching basketball was Jim’s favorite pastime. He was the talk of the town when he played in his younger years and impressed the crowds with his three point shots and jump shots. He loved basketball so much that he taught his daughters to play. Because he had a green thumb, both the family farm in the Philippines and the garden in his Sunset District home in San Francisco flourished. He enjoyed watching the love of his labor in the form of harvested fruits and vegetables or flowers that his wife would pick and arrange for the dining table. His family would also call him the animal whisperer because he had a way of communicating with all the farm animals and family pets—they just loved being by his side and being pet by him.
Jim’s most fondest memories were all the times spent with his family at Camiguin Island in the Philippines. It would require a 2.5 hour drive along the coast of Mindanao followed by a 1.5 hour boat ride to the island itself. He loved to pack the family in the car and drive around the island to see the sights, swim at all the hot and cold springs, go to the White Island via a small pump boat, eat fresh seafood, visit churches, and drink tuba. While Jim was not much of a drinker, he definitely enjoyed the native coconut wine and would become extra talkative and lively.
Jim peacefully passed away on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 79 years of age at UCSF Medical Center after sustaining an unexpected severe cardiac event.
He is survived by his wife Eva Jumoc; his daughters, Christine and Cherry (husband: JJ Jumoc-Casas); his grandchildren, Arya and Evan James Jumoc and Kiran Rey Jumoc-Casas; and his niece Shirley Jumoc Jensen (husband: Wilson Cheng and their son Dylan Cheng).
Jim, a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend, will be deeply missed. His beautiful life will be remembered in the stories he shared, the music he loved to listen to, the food he enjoyed, and in moments cherished together.
Cherry's Eulogy
Hello, my name is Cherrymae, Jimmy’s youngest daughter. Before I begin, just wanted to remind you to sign the photo album sign in at the front of the chapel, pick up an angel pendant as our family’s thank you for being here with us (both are located at the front of the chapel) and to pick up a to-go lunch bag at the gazebo outside (located on the left side when you exit the long hall from this chapel).
Thank you all for being here for my Dad and for my family. Your presence, prayers, calls, messages, and loving gestures has helped us get through such a difficult moment in our lives. Dad’s passing was very unexpected. We all know dad lived a good life and was of age but everything seemed to be going smoothly in regards to his health state. As most of you already know, Dad suffered a massive heart attack on September 11, 2018 in the Philippines. Through his determination, strength, and faith in God he miraculously pulled through with the help of the medical team at Polymedic hospital in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines and we were blessed to have almost 4 more years with our Dad. In Bisaya, our native language, nga paningkamot siya—meaning, his efforts in working hard were present.
Throughout my life, my Dad would always tell me to paningkamot! He lived a challenging life: grew up poor in the Philippines, immigrated to America, learned a new culture, spoke English and raised his kids to be Filipino/American—nga paningkamot siya. So, when Dad would say, “Cherrymae, you need to paningkamot in school,” I took that to heart. I worked hard to prove to him and myself that I could work as hard as he did to give me a better life that he envisioned. I’ll never forget all the times my dad would drop and pick me up from school. Even though he was tired from long days at work, he would sacrifice his free time to bring me to all my sports practices, violin lessons and performances at school, and any other extra curricular activities that I’d be involved in. In my adult years, he still would remind me to paningkamot. As I reflect on my career as a nurse the past 12 years, I realize that I always seemed to push myself to do things out of my comfort zone. I didn’t think I would become an ER nurse or work at Stanford Hospital specializing in cardiology. And all this time, it was the word paningkamot that my dad would always say, that helped push me to work hard and pushed me to do things that would eventually teach me a lot about myself. Thanks Dad for always reminding me to work hard!
Towards the last few years of Dad’s life, Dad would still push hard and dedicate himself to being healthier and stronger because he wanted to be able to help take care of his grandkids and to one day return back to the family farm that he cherished so much. He was brave enough to undergo his first successful knee replacement at the beginning of this year. Again, Dad worked hard through it all because he believed he could persevere. My Dad’s perseverance derived from his firm faith in God, his hope in that things will always be ok, and his courage—all of these qualities made my dad the strongest I ever saw him.
Dad, I miss you so much! I feel like you are on a really long long vacation. Even though you are not physically here all my senses tell me that you are. I see you when I see our family garden and all the plants you meticulously took care of. I hear you in Kiran’s voice when she says, “yummy yummy” because you too would say those words when you’d eat your favorite foods. I feel your presence the most in the silence, longing to continue our one on one conversations with one another. When I smell grass after the rain, I remember how you would take me around the family farm in the Philippines and how the smell of the soil and grass smells just the same. When I taste my favorite foods, I remember how you would let me order your food because you too would enjoy what I liked to eat. Dad, you are all around me. You are even in the breath that I take. My dad would have some anxieties here and there and I would teach him to deep breathe to help calm him down. Now, every time I take a deep breath, I think of you, Dad, and now you are with me in that breath.
Dad, rest well, and we will see each other when that time comes. Tell then, watch over me and the family and enjoy that eternal vacation with God.
Christine's Eulogy
Hello, I’m Jimmy’s oldest daughter, Christine. Before I share…on behalf of the family, I want to thank you all for coming today to honor our dad. I now some of you travelled a very long distance to pay your respects and I know he would have been happy.
Thank you to those who are currently attending online from all around the world, from all across North America, Canada, Asia, Europe and everywhere else… thank you for taking the time to allow us to share and celebrate his life.
Thank you to those who assisted our family in making this memorial beautiful, Duggan’s staff, Father Tom, singer Teresa, the pianist and others I may not have named… thank you.
And more importantly a huge thank you to my loving sister, Cherrymae and brother-in-law JJ for dedicating their time, effort and love in helping me and mom put all our memories, photos and items of dad in this beautiful service. As you can see, our dad is greatly loved.
Jimmy is a simple person with an extraordinary life. He would say he’s just ordinary nothing special, but the childhood stories and life experiences dad endured would beg to differ. He had a rough childhood and was often in survival mode, but I won’t go into details as a good amount of his stories are shared in the pamphlet you received today. Instead, I would love to share with you how grateful I am for this man… the 1st man I’ve loved in my life. He may not have realized at the time, but God has given dad so many gifts that upon reflection has a profound effect on his children and will trickle down to his grandchildren and so on. Out of the many gifts God has given our father, I would like to share the following three… the gift of laughter, the gift of gratitude and the gift of unconditional love.
Gift of Laughter
Though Jimmy is friendly, he is initially reserve and quiet. However, once you get to know him, it’s almost as if a whole other being emerges. He’s quite a comedian and often when he gets together with his childhood friends and relatives, they would start bursting into laughter. I even witness one of their gatherings, where dad was so funny that at one point someone had to excuse themselves to go to the bathroom… yes… he was that funny! And dad’s funniness would trickle down to us as we would always remember laughing and giggling around him. And more recently, he loves to joke and laugh with his three grandkids. Even his sidekick my son, Evan James, would run to him expecting him to make funny faces and sounds… which he always did with enjoyment.
Gift of Gratitude
I would say my dad is known for being the “Thank You” Specialist. Whether it was at the grocery, at the hospital, church or even his family, he never stopped saying thank you for whatever was done for him or given to him. Every day he was thankful for something or to someone.
When dad suffered a heart attack in 2018 and was in the hospital for over a month, people and hospital staff members never stopped sharing with us about how he was the kindest and politest person they’ve ever met. Whether it was one of the nurses helping him shave, giving and feeding him meals, helping him bathe, he was thankful and he made sure to say it. He was consistent with that… same with his family, whether, I would help him put drops in his eye on a daily basis or rub ointment on his back when he was in pain and even after his first knee surgery, when I helped with his physical therapy or gave him baths, he never stopped thanking me. He would often say, thank you Christine, you and Cherry really love your dad. And I would always remind me, of course dad, you’re worth it and don’t ever forget that.
Gift of Unconditional Love
Dad would say he’s a simple man, but he has the biggest heart. He has so much love for his wife, kids and his grandkids. We witness it each time we were with him.
What amazes me is that with his tough childhood, losing his father at a very young age, living during WWII , not being fully raised by his mother and being sent to live with relatives, one would think that because of his upbringing he might have been a challenging or tough father. How does one pass on the love from a father or from a mother if one hasn’t quite experienced that or didn’t have the opportunity to feel that love when they were young??? I often wondered about this even when I was young and up until now, I am amazed that he continued to be the most loving, gentle and caring father. Cherry and I (and our kids) are very blessed to have experience this. Not everyone may have this kind of opportunity or relationship.
These three gifts God has given our father are qualities we will be able to apply in our lives and to pass down to our children and to share with others we encounter. I would say we have already done that as many of you may see dad’s qualities in me and my sister. However, the ultimate gift that we are forever grateful for is to have our father, Jimmy.
He’s the main package and apparently God threw in a bonus deal for us. Dad was given enough time to spend with us and to actually meet and take care of his grandchildren. God could have taken him home in 2018, but allowed us to borrow him for a few more years and for that, we are blessed and thankful.
As you probably know, I could go on and on and it will probably be chapters or volumes of stories on dad, but I would like to conclude with a poem which speaks volumes to my heart and often reading it makes me cry but is part of my healing and understanding of what has happened:
God saw you getting tired and a cure was not to be, so he put his arms around you and whispered “Come to me.”
With tearful eyes we watched you, and saw you pass away.
Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating, hardworking hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.
I don’t know how long it will take me to grieve this tremendous loss, but I know that I am blessed beyond measures and will remember that. I feel so grateful to have had as much time with my father as I did
And as what I have shared in social media as well as speaking with others, when you get the chance, make sure to spend time with those you love or show them you care. We are on borrowed time, and it’s best to seize that opportunity when you or your loved ones are still living in this world.
Thank you