Dr. Fortunato O. Sunio's Obituary
Beloved husband, father, and pediatrician
Dr. Fortunato O. Sunio, 90, succumbed to heart disease in Dallas, Texas on April 25, 2021. Born on April 3, 1931 in Lucena, Philippines, Dr. Sunio often boasted to his children that he was the smartest boy in his graduating class at Quezon City High School in 1950–not only because he had earned the distinction of class valedictorian, but because he would later convince Victoria Uy, the most alluring and intelligent girl in his class, to be his wife. The couple both attended the University of the Philippines for their undergraduate degrees, and in 1957 Fortunato obtained his medical degree from UP as well.Dr. Sunio completed a residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City, New York, another residency at Children’s Hospital in Detroit, and a fellowship in hematology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Then he worked a year in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, before he returned to the Philippines where he eventually became chief of staff at Capiz Emmanuel Hospital in Roxas City.
In 1968 when Dr. Sunio established his private pediatric practice at Kimbro Clinic, the Sunio family became the first Filipino settlers in Cleburne, and he became a naturalized US citizen in 1973. A fellow Filipino and UP grad, the late Dr. Victor Abello joined Dr. Sunio in pediatrics in 1974. Then, in 1975 the late Dr. Narciso Cinco joined the Kimbro medical group with his ENT clinic, which completed the Philippine triumvirate. In 1979 Dr. Sunio became instrumental in creating a network of Filipino physicians in the metroplex and serving as the first president of the North Texas Association of Philippine Physicians (NTAPP). Dr. Sunio also served as chapter president of the University of the Philippines Medical Society (UPMASA) from 1985 to 1987.
Although Dr. Sunio eventually left Cleburne in 1990 and went on to work as a physician at the Texas State Schools for Mental Health and Retardation in the cities of Denton, Mexia, and Terrell, his heart always remained in Cleburne, where he had raised his own five children and where the people were as warm as the tropical climate to which he was accustomed in the Philippines. He never forgot the young patients under his care nor the vast friendships forged in his neighborhood and the congregation of The First Baptist Church in Cleburne. He enjoyed games that kept his mind active, such as winning at mah jongg and watching Jeopardy! Most of all, he loved to encourage young people and dispense advice to people of all ages.
Dr. Sunio is preceded by his parents Jose and Maria Sunio; sisters Milagros, Florence and Anne Sunio; and brother Demosthenes Sunio.
Dr. Sunio is survived by his devoted wife of fifty-six years, Victoria Sunio; his daughter Maria V. Sunio and her husband Robert Loucks, his son Jose F. Sunio, his daughter Florence A. Sunio and her husband Christopher St. John, his daughter Mila Janette Sunio and her husband Mark Solberg, his daughter Laura K. Sunio and her husband Jonathan Haben, and his grandchildren: Olivia Loucks, Audrie Loucks, Isabella St. John, Celeste St. John, Eleanor Solberg, and Dean Haben. Dr. Sunio is also survived by his younger brother Aristotle Sunio.
The service will be by invitation only however all friends and family are welcome to view the live stream of the service.
http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/53335/hash:D08E42C096417E7C
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to support pediatric or cardiac research at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Office of Development & Alumni Relations, P.O. Box 910888, Dallas, Texas 75391-0888, or https://engage.utsouthwestern.edu/donate-now
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