Josefina Avena Quiambao

Josefina (Josie) Saavedra Avena Quiambao was born on July 22, 1945 in the city of Manila, to her parents Jose and Lesmes. She was the oldest of 3 kids, and had 2 younger brothers, Rene and Edgar. Josie was raised in Caloocan, and spent many summers with family in the city of Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, Mindanao. It was in Caloocan that Josie spent her childhood years until she enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas. From there, she went on to study as a pre-med student, graduated with a degree in chemistry, and pursued a career as a chemist. During her college years, she met the love of her life, Eduardo Quiambao. The two fell in love and married 6 years later on December 12, 1970, and had five children - Joyce (deceased), Jennifer, Joanne, Edward, and Jacqueline.

In February 1987, the family moved to Sacramento, California. For one year, Josie was responsible for raising her four kids on her own, as her husband was finishing his term as a mayor in Macabebe, a city in the province of Pampanga in the Philippines. She continued her professional career as a chemist, where she diligently worked until she retired at the age of 73.

As the years passed, Josie’s children grew up and began to start families of their own. She became a grandmother to her six grandchildren - Tyus, Jazelle, Jasmine, Jaylah, Aiden, and Jordan. Josie showed great amounts of love to everyone in her life, especially her grandchildren. She loved taking them to places to eat, stores to shop, and parks to play. She also made sure to always show up to important milestones, whether it was graduations, performances, or sporting events. Josie also displayed great amounts of love and gratitude towards her 2 son-in-laws Andrew (married to Jennifer), Tyrone (married to Joanne), and her daughter-in-law Victoria (married to Ed). She was also known as a great friend to many, always keeping in touch and checking in at random to see how someone was doing.

Josie was very involved in the Filipino community following the death of her husband Eduardo. She joined the Mabuhay Foundation in 2014, and was an active member for 9 years. Between 2015-2019, she served two medical missions in the Philippines to increase access to quality healthcare all around the country. Josie was also a dedicated woman of God, and prayed the rosary every day. She was a member of the church choir at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, and was an active member for nearly 18 years. Her other hobbies included: taking Zumba/aerobics classes, reading, and living a healthy lifestyle.

Josie truly wanted the best for everyone that had a role in her life, and left behind an incredible legacy for her friends and family to remember her. She showed how it is possible to find fulfillment in so many different areas of life, and how each aspect helped her live life with purpose. She showed what it meant to be a strong and loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, auntie and friend, and how it was possible to be great at each role.

On behalf of the Quiambao & Avena family, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your thoughts, prayers, condolences, time, and most of all, presence to celebrate the life of Josefina (Josie).