Posted by Jeremy (Cocoy) Villanos-Estrella on May 5, 2012:

(Note: Delivered during the Necrological Mass) Good morning. I'm Cocoy or Jeremy, one of Col. Joven Villanos's grandchildren, son of Dr. Jessy. It's impossible to stand before you today and encapsulate my grandfather's life with a short eulogy. Whatever I say this morning wouldn't be enough to express what he means to all the people in his life who love him, so the best I can do is talk about him from my point of view and hope that I can do justice for the ones who love him. All of us in this chapel have been part of his life, and though only one man, he had numerous roles. Each of us here saw him just a little differently. If I asked each one of you who Joven Gascon Villanos was, I'd get different answers. I'm sure a lot of you would say he's a great friend. Others would say he was a caring brother, an incredible father, or a loving, passionate husband. And though all of us had a different perception of my grandfather, we could all agree on one thing; he was a man of integrity. With the power he held, he could have easily chosen to forsake his integrity and give in, but my grandfather always chose to do what was right. He truly upheld and lived by the ideals of West Point, "Country, Honor and Duty." My personal answer would be that he was of course my grandfather, but also a teacher. Whenever I needed help with my Algebra and/or my Physics homework, Lolo would always be there to help me. He'd explain each problem step by step until I'd finally get it. Even when he was in the US, he'd help me by scanning and emailing the solutions to the problems and calling me for the explanation. They say the smarter you are, the worse you are at teaching, but my lolo was an exception to this. He was a great teacher; I can see why his students liked him. He'd not only teach me about academics, but also about life. I remember when my cousin, Carlos, and I were scolded for something once; he called us to the garden and told us to sit with him. He told us what was wrong with what we did and added his own experiences. He knew we were feeling down, so he did his best to cheer us up, and we laughed at his jokes. My grandfather was a passionate man. Everything he did, he did with passion. What were some of his passions? He really loved reading and writing. He'd spend his free time listening to music on his iPod and reading e-books on his Kindle, reading classics and Shakespeare. This actually made him look like he was a lot younger than his age, and even my friend told me before he thought he was in his early sixties. He had a wide vocabulary too and played Scrabble a lot. He had a green thumb; he loved taking care of his gardens in the US and here in the Philippines. I would never forget the time he spent teaching my cousin Carlos and I to tend the garden. I may have groaned about the work then, and sometimes still do, but I now appreciate the time he took to instill that knowledge in us. He taught me to be selfless and kind, to respect, to do my best in everything, and to have integrity. These and many more are everlasting memories to carry with me, and I will always thank him for showing all of us what being a brother, parent and grandparent should be like. His enthusiasm for life, strong heart and soul taught all of us how to truly live. Thank you Lolo for your unconditional love and endless patience, though I may not have always deserved it. He was truly the greatest man I have ever known and though I will miss seeing him everyday, I know he'll never be truly gone. Lolo, I love you.

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