Cesario Bondoc

1923 - 2022

BONDOC, Cesario E.

Cesario Espinosa Bondoc, M.D., age 98, of Hamilton, Ohio, died Saturday, June 25, 2022, at Kettering Health (Fort Hamilton) Hospital in Hamilton. Born August 23, 1923, in Tibag, Tarlac, Philippines, he was the son of Mauricio and Veronica (Espinosa) Bondoc. Dr. Bondoc was preceded in death by his parents; his brother Manuel (Guadalupe Tatu) Bondoc; and sisters Clara (Roque) Mallari, Ruperta (Celestino) Perez, Fausta (Crisostomo) Reyes, and Leonarda (Raul) Canlas. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Carol Lee (Brown) Bondoc; sons Michael, Raymond, James, Stephen; and daughter Susan. He also leaves behind six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren along with many loved ones in his large extended family in the Philippines, United States and elsewhere.

When World War II began, Cesario was enlisted as a guerilla fighter before his senior year in high school ended. He served bravely and was a proud Filipino WW II veteran. After the war, he attended the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and earned his medical degree in 1953. He traveled to the US for his residency at Mercy Hospital in Hamilton then returned to the Philippines to pursue private practice for 11 years. In 1962 he was part of a group of 15 doctors that established the Central Luzon Doctors' Hospital (CLDH) in Tarlac, which began with a 25-bed capacity, quickly grew to 175 beds and continues to expand. Upon returning to the US in 1971, he was a staff physician at Newcastle Hospital in Indiana. He returned to Hamilton in 1973 and became a US citizen in 1976. He was a physician in the ER at Fort Hamilton Hospital tirelessly serving his community from 1973 until his retirement at age 72. Shortly thereafter, he came out of retirement returning to Fort Hamilton as an Urgent Care and Occupational Health physician, finally retiring at age 75.

Cesario was a long-time parishioner at St. Peter in Chains Catholic Church. A kind and generous man, he supported many charities his entire life. He also liked to travel and went to the Philippines regularly to visit relatives. His most recent trip to the Philippines was in 2015. He was an avid reader, enjoyed gardening, working out and was a big fan of the Reds and Bengals.

A visitation with the family will be held Friday, July 8 at 10:30 am at St. Peter in Chains Catholic Church, 382 Liberty Ave, Hamilton, OH 45013 followed by a Memorial Mass at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, kindly direct donations in his memory to the American Heart Association at heart.org.