Esperanza Maddela del Rosario's Obituary
Esperanza (Espie) Maddela del Rosario of Dallas, Texas, died January 31, 2014. Surviving Mrs. del Rosario are her sister, Annie and husband, Joe Mercado; brother, Ernesto Maddela; children, Pres Ida Pimentel, Phyllis Carol Banzon and husband, Elbert, Paul Philip and wife, Agnes, Paz Virginia “Gigi” Cain and husband, Wright, Philip Sunday and wife, Teresita”Tess,” Peter Hope and wife, Sheryl; grandchildren, Elven and Karen Banzon, Khristine Manuel and husband, Mark, Michelle Castrillo and husband, Neil, Abigail del Rosario, Virginia Rose and James Christopher Cain, Christian Philip del Rosario, Amanda Baumann and husband, Fabian, Lindsay Simmons, and Nathan del Rosario and great-grandchildren, Justin, Jordan, and Jona Manuel; Nia Castrillo; and Amiyah and Tamara Baumann. Esperanza Maddela was born on September 15, 1929, to Vicente Maddela and Placida Bermudez. Vicente was converted to Christianity while training in Manila to be a teacher, while Placida was converted by Methodist Missionaries who visited her hometown of Aparri, Cagayan. The couple had four daughters, Fe (Faith), Esperanza (Hope), Caridad (Charity), and Annie and two sons, Ernesto and Vicente Jr. Growing up in Aparri, Cagayan, they had no radio and no television. Instead, the children spent hours listening to records on an Edison Phonograph memorizing many hymns and songs. A portable pump organ was also a very precious instrument in the Maddela home, used for family worship at home. Her parents’ passion for music helped the children read notes and memorize psalms and poems. The call to follow Jesus came to Espie at the end of a Christmas Institute on the night of December 30, 1946. From the deep recesses of her heart, Espie responded, “Jesus, I want to follow you.” The college years at Philippine Christian College in Manila nurtured this response, where she dreamed of being a missionary. Espie swore she would not get married, but when she was in college, she met Philip del Rosario in the United Methodist Youth Fellowship at Central Church in Manila, and he pursued her until they fell in love. He wrote her love letters, signed with the name “Pea Leaf” to his sweet “Panching.” “Espie”graduated Magna cum laude with a B.S.Ed. for English and Religious Education from Philippine Christian College in 1951, and they were married on June 27, 1953 in Central Church. She was passionate for service and education, and Espie became the National Director of Student Work for the National YWCA in the Philippines from 1952-1956. She organized student YWCA units in universities and planned national leadership conferences for student leaders. Many of the attendees in these conferences became national leaders of the Philippines. From 1961 to 1969, Espie was an English and Literature teacher in Philippine High Schools in Tarlac and Manila. In 1970, she received a Masters of Religious Education from SMU Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, TX. As a minister’s wife, she supported her husband in all of his endeavors, as well as participating and leading in ministries of her own. Under her guidance in 1977-1984, Wesley-Rankin Community Center developed to be a vibrant, center/home for many families. There were programs for all age groups, for the schooled and unschooled. From 1985 to 1991, Espie was the Director of Methodist Commission on Resource and Development, Philippines Central Conference in Manila. She worked with teams to help Philippines barangays plan for their development and helped these barangays follow through with their plans, such as preparing grant proposals, leadership training, etc. In 1978, she served as a diaconal minister member of the North Texas Conference and she called attention to the growing numbers of Asian-American Christian communities in the conference area. As a result of this advocacy, the Commission on Asian Ministries was created by the North Texas Conference. After retirement from the North Texas Conference, Espie volunteered and later was employed to serve as chaplain in community college ministry of the greater Dallas community of churches. As chaplain, she served at El Centro, Mountain View, and Cedar Valley Community Colleges. One year, she took a “Peace Painting” made by students at the annual Peace Conference to the Philippines and presented it to President Ramos. Espie facilitated and presided over the first national convocation of Filipino-American United Methodists in San Francisco, which created the National Association of Filipino-American United Methodists (NAFAUM) Espie was also passionate about serving her home state and city in addition to serving in God’s ministry and in the Philippine community. She was chairperson of the Dallas ISD Asian-American Advisory Committee, a Congress delegate for Dallas city planning for the year 2000, and an active board member of the Philippine Republic Day Celebration, Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce for North Texas, and Philippine Tourism Advisory Committee. The Journey summed up: Basking in God’s Assurance, as written by Espie del Rosario “The journey has not always been a smooth walk on level ground. There were pitfalls, and I did fall. There were heartaches and disappointing moments. There were occasions of deep despair. There is still a lot of pride to overcome. A lot of patience to learn. A lot of caring skills to develop. One blessed thing I am certain about: God is my good shepherd. God is in my life. My hand is in His hand. I believe I have “one foot in heaven” because God is here. I see God recreating, reconciling, renewing. My desire is for others to know the good news of God’s presence so they can experience the joy of living with God while still living their life on earth. Espie passed away peacefully at home the morning of January 31, surrounded by loved ones singing her favorite hymns. On this day, our Lord welcomed His”faith-full” daughter into eternal life. Visitation will be from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Wednesday, February 5 through Saturday, February 8, 2014, with daily services starting at 6:00 PM each night at Restland Funeral Home. The funeral service will be held at Cochran Chapel United Methodist Church on Sunday, February 9, 2014 at 3:00 PM with Reverend Joseph Stabile officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer gifts marked for the P.B.R. Pastoral Care Ministry, Inc., a legacy from her husband, Reverend B. Philip del Rosario (PBR). The ministry trains pastors and laity in pastoral care.
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