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Modesto E. Ellano Jr.
Modesto E. Ellano—best known as “Mo”—was born December 27, 1933, at Mercy Hospital in San Diego, California. He died December 1, 2005, at home with his wife Claudia and his friend Ed Padilla at his...ver maisModesto E. Ellano—best known as “Mo”—was born December 27, 1933, at Mercy Hospital in San Diego, California. He died December 1, 2005, at home with his wife Claudia and his friend Ed Padilla at his side.
Mo’s mother and father had emigrated to the United States from the Philippines. Mo’s father, Modesto I. Ellano, was born in July 1902 in Moron Bataan, a Tagalog area in Manila, and eventually became a cook in the U.S. Navy.
Mo’s mother, Leonila Pasamanero, came to the United States at the age of fourteen in 1929. She was from Iloilo in the Visayas, a group of islands in the central area of the Philippines. She came to the U.S. to rejoin her “Iyay” (Aunt) Socorro, of whom she had grown very fond. Leonila’s aunt had come to the U.S. in 1927 to live with her father.
In 1936, when Mo was three years old, his brother Leopoldo was born. Shortly after Leopoldo’s birth, their mother died. Her passing must have been very traumatic for Mo as he had no recollection of his mother, nor of any experiences with her. Most of what he knew of his mother he had learned from conversations with his Great Aunt Inday. At nine years of age, Mo suffered another tragic loss when Leopoldo died at the age of six due to an illness.
You have read of the very diverse chapters of Mo’s life as he evolved from foster child to a juvenile delinquent, to a gravedigger in a military cemetery, to an aircraft-factory worker, to a farm worker, to an enlisted man in the U.S. Army, back to being a farm worker, to a college student, to a social worker, and, finally, to a professor of social work at California State University, Long Beach.
Mo assumed multiple images during his lifetime, which he used to create the manuscript and notes for this book. He typed many of the notes himself, and had handwritten other memories on scraps of paper. Still more recollections were dictated to Claudia’s mother, who in turn typed them. His life was a journey of discovery, transition, and metamorphosis.
Mo was the patriarch of a large, loving family. In addition to Claudia, who had been his wife for 16 years at the time of his passing, he is survived by his six adult children: Michael Ellano, Miki Love, Roman Ellano, Barry Ellano, Modesto Ellano III, and Luis Ellano. Their mother—Louise Leftwich—passed away six months after Mo. Their six children in turn bore 16 grandchildren, and they contributed 13 great-grandchildren to Mo’s lineage.
One of Mo’s favorite phrases was: “If I eat, you eat. If you leave my house hungry, it’s your fault.” He was never more alive than when he cooked for family and friends--giving from his heart.
Truly multifaceted and multicultural, Mo exemplified determination. Tagalog was his first language, but he learned Spanish while growing up in an informal foster-care arrangement in the Logan Heights barrio of San Diego. He moved easily from speaking Spanish and celebrating his Chicano traditions to speaking Pidgin English and basic Tagalog with his Filipino friends. Over the years, he maintained relationships with his childhood friends, farm labor co-workers, and college classmates, valuing each individual and group equally.
In 2003, Mo was recognized for his accomplishments in social work. The College of Health and Human Services of California State University, Long Beach, presented him with the Outstanding Alumni Award. His students continued to visit Mo throughout his long illness to seek his wisdom and mentoring.
Memorial services were held on Saturday, December 10, 2005, at 11:30 a.m. Mo’s spiritual vitality soared even as his physical body failed him, as evidenced in his exhortation: “Don’t wear black to my memorial. Wear red!” He wanted those who knew him to celebrate his life as enthusiastically as he had lived it. There’s “no Mo no mo’,” but his energy and wisdom and love made a lasting imprint on our hearts and minds.ver menos