Ligaya Aducayen Guinid

Eliodoro Aducayen Sr. and Melitina Magat were blessed by the Lord Almighty with the birth of their seventh child on December 29, 1956 in Namuac, Sanchez Mira, Cagayan in Northern Luzon. This very pretty child, who was also known as a "cry baby" according to her mother Melitina, was named Ligaya by her grandfather, Ciriaco Magat. She was named Ligaya because she was born during the Christmas Holiday Season, which marks the happiest time in the Catholic calendar in the Philippines. The name Ligaya translates to "happiness" or "joy" in the English language.

As a young girl, Ligaya, enjoyed being a part of a large family where there were lot of hands to care for her and her 8 other siblings. She attended and graduated from Namuac Elementary School and Namuac Academy. She then attended Ortanez University in Manila and graduated there in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing.

Right after graduation, Ligaya started working at the Bureau of Customs in the Philippines as a company nurse. She worked hard and patiently in Customs while waiting for the approval of her petition to come over to the United States. In 1987, her most cherished "American Dream" finally began when she, together with her three brothers, Manuel, Nelson, and Robert arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on-board a Philippine Airlines flight as permanent residents of the United States.
In 1989, Ligaya met a handsome yet gentle young man who attended a birthday party at her house at Garden Grove, California. His name was Mr. Orlando Guinid. She started to take a liking to him, and they started dating. After a hard-fought five-year battle by Orlando, she finally gave him her sweet "of course" and they got married on January 15th, 1994. Their divine union resulted in the birth of their two children, Ryan who was born on February 17th,1996 and Patrick who was born on October 6th, 1997. The couple celebrated their Silver Anniversary (25 years of marriage) during this year of January 15th, 2019.

Before this all happened, Ligaya, knowing the value of hard work, earning a living, and saving for the future, did not waste any of her time and studied very hard when she got to the United States, thus passing the Registered Nurse Board Exam the first time she took the examination. Later, she was able to land a job as a Registered Nurse at Harbor UCLA Medical Center and had been working there for about 28 years. Due to her hard work, devotion to her daily duties, and her extraordinary care and compassion towards her patients and staff, she was promoted to the position of Charge Nurse. Two years ago, she received the "Daisy Award" for Nursing, one of the most coveted awards a nurse can receive that is given to those nurses who create special connections with their patients, have significantly made differences in the lives of their patients, act as outstanding role models for other nurses, and remain enthusiastic and energetic despite the challenges of nursing. She remained employed as a Charge Nurse at Harbor UCLA Medical Center until her passing. On January 30th, 2019, Ligaya Aducayen Guinid passed away at an operating table of Keck Medical Center of USC due to some complications and died from a Pulmonary Embolism.

Ligaya is survived by her husband, 2 sons, 4 sisters, and 3 brothers. She leaves behind a legacy of determination, hard-work, selflessness, and compassion that will continue to live on the hearts of those friends, co-workers, and loved ones who cherished her all throughout her 62 years of service to others.