Eulogy for Judge Oscar Leviste
April 3, 2013
I am the youngest of six children, and Rose somehow played
the role of a second mother to me as I was growing up. Maybe it was because my
Mom had severe asthma and needed help in raising six children. So when Rose got
married, I remained quite close to her growing family.
I have many wonderful memories of Oscar and I learned so
much from him.
Ikoy was born when I was only 11, and I loved taking care of
him when my Mom would bring him home to Gagalangin after her morning mass at
Espiritu Santo. One time, when Oscar was abroad for some further studies, I
think, I had been playing with Ikoy and showing him the “makahiya”. Ikoy of course was really fascinated by the
plant which would close up its leaves when he touched them. Apparently, Rose
wrote Oscar about it and I soon received a very nice letter from him thanking
me for taking care of Ikoy and showing him the wonders of nature. That was a
good lesson in gratitude, and how important it is to express our thanks,
something we often forget to do.
As I entered my teens, it was Oscar and Rose who would bring
me to all the La Salle basketball games, so that I became a fanatic fan of the
Green Archers. I even remember Ikoy giving the “rectikana-keena-keena” cheer. Even during exam time, I would go to the
basketball game with my review notes, which I would study during time- outs or
the rest period between quarters. Oscar was teaching at La Salle then, and this
launched me into the world of basketball which I love to this day, although I
now watch NBA rather than the local teams. Watching the NBA finals is still on
my bucket list. As a result of Oscar and Rose introducing me to sports, I
actually played basketball in high school, and tried my hand at many sports,
including bowling, where at some point I became a tournament player.
When I went to college and started to notice boys, I
remember telling Oscar that I hesitated telling the guys at our jam sessions
that I was taking up BS Physics for fear of intimidating them and ending up an
old maid. In his wisdom, he advised me to go ahead and tell them that I was a
Physics major. And if they were intimidated,
then they were not worth my while. I took his advice and fortunately got
to hang out with interesting,
intelligent men. It was a lesson in gender relations I never forgot. So I have
never been intimidated by powerful men nor have I ever tried to intimidate men
but have learned to work with them to attain shared goals. Oscar’s advice has stayed with me throughout
my life and is something I often mention when I am giving a talk to young women
– not to be afraid to be intelligent and successful; and to learn to be strong without losing our femininity.
Oscar and Rose also generously opened their home to me, as
when our Dad started a rural bank in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, and was therefore out
of town most of the week. I stayed with them in their home in Don Pedro, and
became a part of their growing family. So I continued to receive their gentle
concern and fraternal advice until I got married.
It was also Oscar who sold Francis and me our very first
lot, encouraging us to look at the monthly payments, which we initially thought
we could not afford as newlyweds, as
putting money into a savings account. That probably launched me on my penchant
for investing in real estate, which has served me very well in my financial
activities.
The significance of Oscar’s life is measured by the lives he
has touched. He has touched mine in big and small ways.
Thank you, Oscar, for having taken me under your wing,
teaching me in words and deeds and by your example, and giving me wise counsel as I grew up in the ambit of your loving
family.
