Jaime Tuazon Calaguas M.D.

LTC Jaime T. Calaguas, M.D.
Dr. Jaime Tuazon Calaguas was born on November 16, 1937 at Fort Stotsenburg, Philippines (the future site of Clark Air Base), located near Angeles City, Pampanga. Known by those closest to him as "Jimmy," Jaime was one of eight siblings raised in a bustling household by his father Basilio Sabaria Calaguas and mother Leogarda Patangui Tuazon. The Calaguas children were well-provided-for, though their youth was punctuated by the harrowing interlude of World War II, which saw Basilio evacuate his wife and kids to the hills of Nueva Ecija prior to valiantly serving in the Luzon Guerrilla Armed Forces under U.S. military command. For his efforts in fighting the Japanese occupation, Basilio was posthumously recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2020. Jaime's earliest memories as a child included evading mounted patrols by the imperial invaders and relaying secret messages between agents of the resistance, incidents that he would passionately recall with great frequency throughout his adulthood.
Following the war, the Calaguases returned to a much calmer existence focused on faith, education, and professional development, splitting time between Manila and Pampanga as the children progressed through their schooling and helped run assorted family businesses through the years, among them a bakery, retail shop, and diner. After obtaining a high school diploma from the University of the East, Jaime pursued his post-secondary education at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), where he received a B.S. in Zoology in 1963 and an M.D. in 1969. Upon graduation, he began his long medical career at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Manila as a resident physician in general practice and internal medicine. In addition to the usual rounds within the hospital facility, his responsibilities also included making house calls to prominent local families and scheduling consultations at numerous corporations throughout the area. After three years, Jaime embarked on a new chapter across the Pacific and moved to Michigan, where his brother Carlito and sister Alicia had already put down roots. Jaime went on to stints at North Detroit General Hospital and St. Mary Hospital, as well as a residency in internal medicine at St. John Hospital.
Along the way, Jaime reconnected with his onetime neighbor from Manila (and fellow UST alum) Dr. Ascencion ("Cionnie") Angeles, who had relocated to Michigan after several years of working in Los Angeles and New York. They proceeded to build a life together, marrying in 1979 and welcoming their son Mark in 1981. Shortly thereafter, the new family moved a few miles north of Detroit to settle down in the suburb of Bloomfield Hills. Over the course of almost five decades, Jaime worked at various hospitals and clinics across Metro Detroit practicing in the fields of emergency, occupational, and family medicine.
Following a fateful conversation with a military recruiter, Jaime took a commission with the U.S. Army Reserve in 1984 and served 24 years in the medical corps before retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel. During his service, Jaime traveled to far-flung locales like Panama, Japan, Germany, and South Korea, a tenure that was also marked by two major deployments in the 1990s – Operation Desert Storm, which ran concurrently with the first Gulf War, and Operation Joint Endeavor, which took place during the humanitarian crisis in Bosnia. Equally embracing both his naturalized American citizenship and proud Kapampangan heritage, Jaime regarded his time in the armed forces as an expression of gratitude for the economic opportunities afforded by his immigration journey.
While Jaime's civilian and military careers kept him busy, he also made it a point to stay involved in his community. Jaime and Ascencion were highly visible in the leadership of professional and cultural organizations such as the Philippine Medical Association of Michigan (PMAM), Michigan Circulo Pampangueño (MCP), Philippine American Cultural Center of Michigan (PACCM), Filipino American Community Council of Michigan (FILAMCCO), and Philippine-American Association of Family Physicians (PAAFP) of Michigan, as well as the Philippine-American Association of Family Physicians-USA (PAAFP-USA), where Jaime served as the 2018-2020 president-elect. Furthermore, Jaime was an ardent supporter of his alma mater locally through the UST Medical Alumni Association of Michigan (USTMAAM) and nationally via the UST Medical Alumni Association in America (USTMAAA). USTMAAA's reunion cruises were a highlight of his later life, a series of boisterous adventures across Europe and the Caribbean with his beloved network of diehard Thomasians.
Despite being prone to regular bouts of wanderlust, Jaime nonetheless kept a modest personal life, preferring to spend his downtime watching classic movies and television shows. Although Jaime was notoriously thrifty, disciplined, and reserved, these relatively sober traits were tempered by a playful and mischievous sense of humor. In his more active years, Jaime played tennis and studied karate for recreation. He was also a regular presence in the pews at St. Regis Catholic Church, where he was a steadfast parishioner since the early 1980s. Having lived a full and eventful life, Jaime passed away peacefully at home at the age of 86 in the company of his family on August 28, 2024.
Jaime is survived by his devoted wife of just under 45 years, Ascencion; his son Mark, an attorney based in Chicago, Illinois; sisters Dr. Lolita C. Paras of Mabalacat, Pampanga and Alicia C. Tuazon of Troy, Michigan; and almost five dozen nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces, and great-grandnephews across Michigan, California, and the Philippines. He was preceded in death by his parents Basilio and Leogarda; and by his siblings Conchita T. Calaguas, Bienvenido T. Calaguas, Dr. Carlito T. Calaguas, Virginia C. Catig, and Libertado T. Calaguas.
A Funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, September 7, 2024 at 10:30 am at St. Regis Catholic Church, 3695 Lincoln Rd., Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. Visitation at church begins at 10:00 am. Internment private.