Rafael "Paeng" Senteno

Rafael "Paeng" Senteno was born on October 24, 1920 in San Luis Pampanga, Philippines. He passed away on February 9, 2012 at home surrounded by his loving family. He married the late Mercedes "Chedeng" Valencia Cortez Senteno, on the 19th of October 1952, and 50 years later, they were blessed with the opportunity of celebrating their beautiful Golden Wedding Anniversary. Paeng and Chedeng have four children, consisting of their adopted daughter, Divina (with children, Christian, Paolo, and Anna Maristela), followed by their three biological children, Marites (married to Eddie with children, Michael and Camille), Warren, and Danna (married to Erwin with daughters, Audrey and Alexa). Starting in 1945 at the tail end of World War II, Rafael honorably served for the United States Navy. During this period of commitment, he was stationed in one of the Navy carrier fleets and even took a bullet by enemy fire to his knee. He was awarded the Expeditionary Medal for the Vietnam Era in 1963, and he was honorably discharged and retired from the Navy in 1965. Nonetheless, he voluntarily returned to join the Merchant Marine in 1980, finally retiring for good in 1984. In 1981, Rafael moved his family to the United States in the Bay Area, which has become their permanent home. He became the patriarch of the family, as he dedicated his years to taking care of his children, grandchildren, and home. He will always be remembered for being a thoughtful, quiet, gentle, and generous man, and we will surely miss his presence