Amado Orlando Reyes Yuzon, Jr., or Totong
Amado Orlando Reyes Yuzon, Jr., or Totong
Amado Orlando Reyes Yuzon, Jr., or Totong as he was affectionately called, was the oldest of three sons of Amado M. Yuzon, Sr. and Oliva A. Reyes. He was born on December 23, 1928 in Guagua, Pampanga, Philippines. He dreamt of becoming a doctor, but being the oldest child, he felt compelled to complete his college education in 3 short years in order to help his younger siblings. He studied at Far Eastern University in the Philippines, where he earned his BS in Accounting. He worked as a Certified Public Accountant for several years at Central Bank.
He married Valentina Baul Ocampo, or Tins, on April 10, 1954. Their 69 years of marriage produced seven children (and thirteen grandchildren) – Ted and Ginny (Joshua and John), Dette and Junnie (Marie, Missy, and Jun-Jun), Sasa and Syd (Kristina), JC (Katrina and Kyle), Bette (Clare), May and Arnold (Ann and Mia), and Andrew and Aimee (Alana and Andrew). Totong was a loving husband to Tins and enjoyed doing everything with her. He was always present for all his children’s and grandchildren’s milestones and spoiled them with his time, humor, and thoughtfulness.
He strived for a better future for his family, so he immigrated to the United States on December 28, 1972. He worked tirelessly at Morrison-Knudsen as a CPA as he aimed to bring his family to the USA. Through his dedication and commitment, he was able to put all his children through college and even helped them after they have started their own families. He retired at the age of 65, but he remained active by being the official driver of his grandchildren. In his spare time, he loved to go gallivanting at thrift stores where he shopped for trinkets for his Tins, belt buckles, caps, and books for his grandchildren. He also enjoyed spending his time reading the newspapers, doing word search or dot to dot puzzles, drinking cold beverages like sago and gulaman, taking his grandchildren for long walks, going on long drives to Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, and watching old Lawrence Welk shows with his wife. He lived his life simply by having fun and enjoying every moment.
Totong went home to be with the Lord on his Tins’ 91st birthday, July 25, 2023. It was his way of making sure that she always remembers him on her birthday. He was preceded in death by his parents Papang and Ima, two brothers Ben and Romy, and half sister Dette. He is survived by Tins and all his children and grandchildren. His legacy of creating and maintaining strong family ties is deeply imbedded in the hearts of his seven children.