Rhodora Manalo Abad

Rhodora (Dory) Manalo Abad, 50, passed away at Memorial Hospital surrounded by loved ones on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, after a long battle with an aggressive form of breast cancer called "triple negative breast cancer". She was born on May 6, 1960 in Rosario, Cavite, Philippines, and moved to the U.S. in 1976. She has resided in Jacksonville, Florida for over 33 years. She graduated in 1980 from Duncan U. Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach, Florida. She soon got married to her first husband and had her first daughter in 1984. After earning her certification from the Florida College of Medical and Dental Assistants in 1982, Dory worked in Jacksonville for over 25 years as a very loyal and hard-working Dental Assistant. Dory remarried in 2000 and had her second daughter in 2005.

She was a very involved member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church for many years and always participated in many activities and events within the church community. Within the past few years, she devoted much more of her time to God and studying the Gospel while becoming an active member of The River of Life Full Gospel Fellowship. She always expressed her thankfulness to The Lord for everything she had accomplished in her life and for everyday that she got to spend with family and friends. She considered each and every day a blessing. Dory was also very active in the Cavite Association of Jacksonville for a number of years.

Dory was known to be very active, cheerful, and full of energy. She was funny, entertaining, and always full of laughter. She had a positive attitude and outlook on life, even up until the day she passed. She was very self-sacrificing, always putting others before herself. She was generous, giving, and hospitable. She was a loving and supportive wife, mother, sister, stepmother, aunt, and friend, to say the least. She loved most of all, spending time with her family whom she dearly loved. All in all, no words will ever be enough to explain all the ways that Dory has touched so many hearts.
Dory had many hobbies and was both talented and creative. She loved making crafts and decorations. One of her favorites was making floral arrangements that perhaps you have seen all throughout her home. She also liked crocheting and playing the piano in her spare time. Over the past few years, she had a special love for playing Gospel songs on her piano. Dory also enjoyed baking, especially her famous banana bread! She was also known for baking her pecan cups and "haystacks" to name a few. Perhaps you remember Dory baking these for you at Christmas-time. Dory loved to dance and was always the life of the party. She had a special passion for the Hawaiian hula. For several years, she had performed as a professional hula dancer in the local groups "The Kilohana's" and "The Polynesian Triangle". She continued to perform for local Filipino parties and events for many years following. She also loved teaching this talent to others and did so for a number of years. In addition, she enjoyed, and was very talented at making hula costumes by hand. Her favorite place to travel was to Hawaii. She also enjoyed visiting family and playing the slot machines in Las Vegas, as well as visiting family in Seattle and Pensacola.

She was preceded in death by her parents Teodora and Bienvenido Manalo. She is survived by her loving husband of 10 years, Miguelito (Buddy) Abad, and daughters Stephanie Purcell, 26, and Sheena Abad, 4. She was the youngest of 9 children, also survived by 4 sisters and 4 brothers, as well as a very large group of extended family and friends.

Visitation for family and friends will be Wednesday and Thursday, August 18 and 19, 6:00-9:00 pm at Hardage Giddens Chapel Hills, 850 St Johns Bluff Road North, Jacksonville, Florida 32225. Church and memorial service will be held on Friday, August 20, 2010 at 10:00 am at The River of Life Full Gospel Fellowship, 2848 St. Johns Bluff Road South, Jacksonville, Florida 32246. The burial ceremony will immediately follow at the Jacksonville National Cemetery, 4083 Lannie Road, Jacksonville, FL 32218. A luncheon hosted by friends and family will be held following the burial ceremony at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 11665 Fort Caroline Road, Jacksonville, FL 32225. In lieu of flowers being sent, her family requests contributions to be made in her memory to the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation or the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.