The following eulogy was prepared by Almira's nephew Arvin Temkar, a professional journalist and delivered by John Leonard, Almira's son-in-law.
She loved plants, so it's fitting that this story begins with a guava. It was a gift from a young Almira Perez to the handsome Ruben Suico, 53 years ago.
Though the pair grew up in the same city, went to the same elementary school, and occasionally saw each other during college, Almira hadn't shown any interest in Ruben. Until, that is, the guava.
The two were caroling one holiday season with The Debonair Club, a social group, when she showed up, fruit in hand.
"I thought she wanted to start something," Ruben remembers. "Why of all people would she give it to me?"
Why a guava? Ruben doesn't remember. But, he was right - the fruit was the start of many things: a marriage, a daughter, three granddaughters, and a garden with lots and lots of plants. Now, we're here to remember Almira's life and cherish those things she and Ruben began half a century ago.
Almira, a nurse for most of her career, was kind-hearted, selfless, and strong-willed. She didn't give up hope, even when the end was near, and remained devoted to her faith and her family.
"She always brought a smile to your face," says Teya, her oldest granddaughter. After the fruit-induced flirting, Almira and Ruben dated for a few years. Then in 1963, the pair was married in Cebu. They spent their honeymoon in Manila, and nine months later, Robin was born.
Soon after, the pair went to the United States, following Almira's sister Lucy. They settled in Chicago, where they lived until 2001. Almira brought her parents to America, paving the way for several of her other siblings to leave the Philippines.
Her brothers' and sisters' children - the American nieces and nephews - thank her for that. She loved cooking, and she loved gardening. She was generous with her harvest. Friends and relatives could always count on a care package from her abundant garden. She loved watching things grow - orchids, papayas, bananas, and, yes, guavas.
With the same generous devotion that made her a good nurse, she always placed others first. "She sacrificed her own wants and needs to make other people happy," says Robin.
When the cancer was bad, she didn't complain. Her pain was less than the pain of others, she told her niece, Tara.
And her determination to live was unsurpassed, says Lucy. Some would call this stubbornness.
"Once she had her mind on something and believed in something, it was very hard to change her mind," Ruben says.
So he held his tongue when it came to matters of the garden, and where to place the plants. In turn, she never criticized his cooking skills (though his daughter wonders how one can burn scrambled eggs).
Almira's own cooking was always a hit, especially her egg rolls. Once, she taught Robin and a group of friends how to make them, but they were never as successful. Robin's daughters agree.
She was a mother, a grandmother, and a sister, the oldest girl in of a family of eight. "A sister to lean on," says Lucy.
Her life was full, and she saw the world. Though she traveled many places - Amsterdam, Paris, London, New York, Tokyo - she never forgot where she came from.
After retirement, Almira and Rueben would travel back to the Philippines almost every year. But, by the end, she was grounded in Florida, where she had planted new roots. This is where her family is, and her grandchildren - Teya, Kenzie, and Malia. They were what she loved watching grow the most.