Attorney Renato Abueg Martinez passed on to the other life last February 28 due to a lingering illness. Uncle Tato, which we call him being the youngest brother of my father-in-law, has always been filled with humor in life.  So even if his passing is a sad event most especially for his wife Auntie Mita, and their children Portia, Rex, Ryan, Sonny, and Ian, and their respective families, I would like to honor Uncle Tato for the zest and vigor which he has lived his life.

In my view he was quite determined to live a fruitful life in the same manner as he was serious with his profession. Beyond his precious legal advises which we would welcome in times of legal concerns, he took time to provide personal advise intended to guide us particularly when my father-in-law passed on much earlier.  Us would mean the "Paconians" or the part of the Martinez Family who live in Paco.

Much like my parents-in-law, he and his family has treated me in no way other than family.  Our first meeting was very light as he was from the very start very accommodating.  I do believe he was the one who talked to my then would-be-father-in-law to make the "pamanhikan"  as he was getting concerned in what appeared to be the over-extended engagement between his nephew (now my husband) and myself.  By natural result, he was one of our godparents in our wedding.  It is interesting to look simultaneously at all the wedding pictures of my husband and his two siblings.  In all three wedding pictures, Uncle Tato is the one and only godparent who was consistently there.

My seesawing weight has always been a running joke between us.  He never fails to mention it whether I gain or lose weight.  When we visited him in the hospital last February 10 while he was already in very serious condition, I was not expecting any joke to come from him. But boy was I mistaken!.  Even with all the hospital contraptions attached to him and with him barely even able to open his eyes, he pointed to me and motioned something with his hand as he was already unable to speak.  I was wearing a very loose blouse which could probably pass off as a maternity blouse and said to him that yes, I was gaining weight again.  

He seemed unsatisfied with my answer and again motioned something with his hand.  Everybody burst into laughter when we all realized that he was actually asking if I am pregnant.  Imagine a person in that serious medical state and obviously in so much pain still having that sense of humor in him.  Even in his condition, he was still trying to make our last visit to him very light and humor-filled.

My Say

We were no longer surprised when we heard about his death.  I was not surprised either that going to his wake was like walking into a peaceful garden instead of a morbid funeral parlor for to do otherwise will be going against his nature.  If we are to judge how well he lived his life by the number of visitors that came to see him, I believe that it can be fairly surmised that he has lived his life exceedingly well and that is his legacy to his family.

That said,  here's a a toast to the life well-lived of Renato Abueg Martinez.