Nestor A. Teope's Obituary
Nestor Abion Teope was the 5th of 7 children, born to Isidro Teope and Ana Abion in Guadalupe, Makati in 1946. Nestor came to Oakland with his father as a young man in 1967. He always said the first thing that impressed him about coming to the United States was the abundance of food everywhere. Nestor was an excellent cook. He took pleasure in cooking and feeding friends as well as relatives. He had a keen eye for seeing and creating beauty in everyday life. He could hear and smell like no one else and was attuned to the authenticity of spirit that he found in music, food, art, flowers, and the people around him. He loved monster movies like Alien and its sequels, which he could watch over and over. Although Nestor was known for his profound graciousness, he was quick to defend himself when he felt he’d been slighted.
Nestor worked for the US postal service for 25 years and enjoyed retirement until a series of health problems demanded that he struggle to stay well. On the evening of Wednesday, March 28th, he passed away at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. Nestor is survived by Mark Berenson, his loving partner of many years; his two brothers, Romeo Teope and Renato Teope; his four sisters, Salvacion Jayan, Eugenia Sanchez, Marcelina Gritsko, and Juliet Balba, as well as by many nieces and nephews who adored him.
He will be cremated at the Chapel of the Chimes Funeral Home on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. A memorial service will be held there on Sunday, April 8th, beginning at 10 am. A gathering for lunch will follow the memorial at the Stanley Dollar Club House in Rossmoor, Walnut Creek. Directions to the Teope Memorial Reception at Stanley Dollar will be available at the Memorial Service as well as the Rossmoor Security Gate.
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