Clemencia Mariana Tangonan Ramoran

Clemencia Mariana Tangonan Ramoran, 87, was born on November 20, 1934 in barangay Macupit, Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, Philippines to Petra Tangonan and Mariano Pimentel. She passed away on July 25, 2022 at her home in the neighborhood of Veterans Tract, Palm Springs, California. She was preceded in death by her parents, first husband Francisco Butac, sisters Bartola Macadangdang, Carmen Pascua, and Trinidad Jordan, and brother Benito Rambac. In 1956, she married Socimo Rambac Ramoran in barangay Cabayo, Vintar, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. Both of them were widowed at a young age and each had a son before meeting and falling in love. Sadly, Socimo passed away on September 25, 2019.


Through the efforts of her husband's father Aquilino Ramoran and family reunification afforded by the United States Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, her husband Socimo immigrated to the U.S. on April 25, 2967 and then she immigrated to the U.S. on May 28, 1968 with her Philippine-born children sons Joel Ramoran, Rodrigo Butac, and Nelson Ramoran, and daughter Jophie Ramoran. She and her husband would have two more children born in Palm Springs, son Edwin Ramoran and daughter Marites Joy Ramoran.


Growing up in Ilocos Norte, she was raised by her grandparents Mariano and Regina Tangonan and finished sixth grade. She helped sell vegetables to earn money for her family. In the United States, she began as a migrant farmworker picking grapes in Central California including Delano, Orosi, and McFarland to the Coachella Valley. Following her husband's lead, she and their children all moved from their first home in Delano to Palm Springs. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States on November 16, 1973. She and her husband would live with other friends and relatives in multifamily households throughout the Filipino enclave of the Veterans Tract neighborhood as well as with their children before building a home in 1975 next door to them and across from the in-laws on Camino Parocela half a block from Cielo Vista Elementary School. Her mother Petra would immigrate to the U.S. to live with her on September 22, 1975. She was instrumental in making sure her mother and siblings would receive immigrant visa status to move to the U.S.


She took on numerous jobs at a time like so many working-class Filipinos in the Coachella Valley to support their families, such as domestic work, housekeeping for hotels--including Gene Autry Hotel, Spa Hotel, Westward Ho, and Sheraton Plaza--and as a dietary aide at the convalescent home Coachella House. She received recognition for Dedicated Service to Coachella Valley Care in 1984. She and her husband worked side-by-side as food servers in the employee cafeteria at the Marquis Hotel in the late 1980s. Before retiring, her last environmental services position was at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, receiving a Service Award for years of dedication to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. She supported the Filipino labor movement and fellow migrant farm workers and was a member of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union Local #309. She consistetly exercised her right to vote and was a vocal advocate for civil rights, inspired to bring awareness to height discrimination in the workplace and to fight for fair wages for service employees. In 2019, her house hosted the first organizing meetings of Bayanihan Desert which formed to support Filipino community and civic engagement in Palm Springs and the Greater Coachella Valley. In 2020, she received the City of Palm Springs Proclamation of Filipino American History Month and Larry Itliong Day.


A devout Christian, she was first baptized in the Philippine Independent Catholic Church in Bacarra on December 15, 1934 and also grew up attending the Aglipayan Church in Ilocos Norte. In the 1970s to early 1980s, she attended mass at St. Theresa Catholic Church and Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Palm Springs. Then, she chose to be born again, received family ministry and Bible studies through Pastor E. J. Tangunan and Lucia Andres, attended Loma Linda Filipino Church of Seventh-Day Adventist, and was baptized on May 9, 1987. She was involved in the early formation of the Palm Springs Filipino-American Seventh-Day Adventist Church congregation in homes in Veterans Tract. The Church would eventually locate a permanent home in Desert Hot Springs. As an active member and deaconess, she looked forward to weekly worship and fellowship including Sabbath School and Friday Vespers, many times hosting mid-week prayer at her home. She dedicated her time and resources to support the Church and was involved in the Women's Ministry as well as singing in the choir. She received a Certificate of Excellence for Outstanding Service for Hospitality and Deaconess in 2006.


Besides being an avid reader of the Bible and Adventist writings, she was a subscriber to 3ABN (Three Angels Broadcasting Network) and viewer of Hope Channel including the Ilocano-language "Oras ti Panagadal" program. Her most watched programs were the 3ABN cooking and "Praise Him" music shows. She also enjoyed watching "Dancing with the Stars" and basketball games on TV.


She was well-known in the community for her love, enthusiasm, and commitment to cooking. She always made the tastiest kankanen (desserts) like glazed carioca doughnuts and steamed puto rice cakes.


Her favorite color was pink. She always loved flowers, including the blooming bougainvillea and palo verde. Like so many of the neighborhood Filipinos, she and her husband had one of the most verdant, flowering edible gardens full of marunggay (moringa) trees, alukon (birch) trees, vines of bitter melon and patola, tomatoes, eggplants, long string beans, saluyot (jute leaves), and carabasa (squash). The garden was central to everyday life and activities.


Clemencia Mariana Tangonan Ramoran is survived by her older sister Leonora Acebo of Vintar, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, and her children son Joel Ramoran of Palm Springs, CA; son Rodrigo Butac of Palm Springs, CA; daughter Jophie Pease of Kapaa, HI; son Nelson Ramoran of Torrance, CA; son Edwin Ramoran of Palm Springs, CA; daughter Marites Joy Ramoran of Long Beach, CA; her grandchildren Cynthia Butac-Arnold, Joel Ramoran, Jr., Jeffrey Pease, Jenny-Liza Ramoran, Jason Pease, Jack Ramoran, Jonathan Pease, Ethan Ramoran, and Alison Ramoran; and great-grandchildren Jayna Pease, Janessa Pease, August Jonathan Scott Pease, and Kecef Lewis von Tischner.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations made "In Loving Memory of Clemencia Ramoran for Stroke and Dementia Awareness" to the Women's Ministry or the Music Ministry of the Palm Springs Filipino-American Seventh-Day Adventist Church. You may use Zelle to (760) 902-2320. Or regular mail to the Church at 13370 Ocotillo Road, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240. Contact: Pastor Arnold Azcuna.

Or consider making a donation to the American Stroke Association at stroke.org.

And to reach the family directly, please call or text Edwin Ramoran at (424) 452-8881 or email edwinramoran@gmail.com.

Thank you for your outpouring of love, prayers, encouragement, sympathy, and support.

The Ramoran Family
c/o Edwin Ramoran
3975 E Camino Parocela
Palm Springs, CA 92264



Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Cathedral City, California.