Jesse De Guia

Jesse Feliciano De Guia was born on February 17th, 1944 in the city of Koronadal, Cotabato, Philippines to Valeriano de Guia Sr. and Mabini Feliciano.  As the second eldest out of four children, he worked as a cargo ship seaman.  On March 20th, 1976, he married Bella, an elementary school teacher and the love of his life.  Together, they had three daughters: Kennethe, Jesselle and Angelica. 

In 1988, Jesse made the decision to move to the United States to provide the best life for his family.  He settled in Long Beach, California where he went straight to work, picking up a variety of blue-collar jobs, often at the same time, to secure a comfortable life and future for his growing family.  Jesse made it a point to live frugally, sending his earnings back to his family overseas.  For Jesse, no job was too small, because for the 11 years he was separated from his loved ones, everything that he did was for them.  His sacrifices as the sole breadwinner provided for his wife and children on the other side of the world, allowing the two eldest daughters to graduate from college.  It would be in 1999 when Jesse would finally be reunited with his wife and two youngest daughters, the last of whom he had not seen since leaving the Philippines.  It would be through his first-born, that Jesse would have three grandchildren: Keona, Jaden and Denise.

Jesse was a hard worker, devoted father and a God-fearing deacon of 25 years in his church.  He loved watching action movies in his downtime.  After long days at work, Jesse would fall asleep to the sound of the TV, only to suddenly wake up if it was ever turned off.  Jesse was known for his compassionate nature towards others and most dearly, to animals.  Jesse would often pick up stray dogs off the street and give them a home in his already full house.  Jesse highly valued his faith in God by teaching his children to always be prayerful and to care for others.  He would always offer rides to the brethren in his church, never asking for payment in his yellow taxi cab.  For Jesse, his strong faith and love of family guided him in all aspects of his life, even until the very end.  Jesse finished his race on his wedding anniversary, March 20th, 2024 at the age of 80 years old, surrounded by the loving family he devoted his life to.