After a long battle with cancer, Mel Catubig took her last breath with a peaceful smile surrounded by her husband and children on May 9th.
Melba Cecilia Catubig was a superstar of a woman. A force of nature. There was no one that worked or loved as hard as her. She dedicated all her life to being the best mother to her two children, Daniela and Isaiah. Her husband, Daniel is heartbroken as the love of his life is gone unimaginably soon.
Despite months of chemotherapy and procedures, Mel still worked to provide for her family. That's the type of woman she was. She hustled like there was no tomorrow, even if it meant that she was in pain.
Mel was born on January 24th, 1973 in Lima, Peru to Ruperto and Elena Angulo. She immigrated to the United States at six years old and raised her family in San Francisco. She did all of this while simultaneously caring for both her parents who lived just a short drive away.
Nothing meant more to her than her family and she stood up fearlessly for them. They were her life: her parents, her sister, niece, husband, and children. But those weren't the only people she stood up for. Mel loved deeply--If an aunt, uncle, cousin, or coworker needed something, she did everything in her power to help them.
She only wanted the best for her family and her actions proved that. She made sure that her parents had a place they could truly call home and that her kids received the best education possible. Notably, she found humor in people, especially her "Chunko" husband, Daniel, who she met in high school.
Melba was protective of her husband, especially her kids. She enjoyed seeing her kids enjoy learning and making a difference in the San Francisco community and discovering their own voice in the world, graduating with top honors and recognition. This May 21, both her kids will be graduating. Her first born, Daniela, a constant scholar and obtaining numerous awards and recognition for her visionary work in the community, will graduate from Saint Mary's College of CA and will join Salesforce's marketing team. Isaiah, an accomplished working actor since elementary school with a growing interest in politics, will graduate from Sacred Heart Cathedral and is headed off to UC Berkeley to pursue a degree in Political Science.
Working as long as she could, she continued to ensure her family's safety and good health, providing essentials and encouraging every positive step.
Melba was deeply proud of her daugher and son who will both graduate at the same time during this painful loss. Please consider helping Daniel and the kids celebrate her life with a proper funeral/memorial and support them in this transition of life towards their endeavors without their loving mother to guide them.
This was written on behalf of her daughter, Daniela Catubig and Sister-in-Law, Marissa Catubig Niles.
