Joint Obituary for Walter and Catalina Labayen, Together Forever.

Walter  and Catalina were born in the Philippines in 1933 on July 28 and March 22, respectively, within four months of each other. Walter is the second  of seven children, while Catalina is the youngest of nine children. In 1944 or 45, when they were about eleven or twelve of age, their lives crossed paths for the first time in the stairwell of a hospital in Bacolod City. Little did they know that they were destined to marry in 1956, be blessed with six children, and one day travel across the seas to the great land of opportunity, the United States of America. 

In 1969, Walter pioneered ahead and was later joined by his wife and six children in 1971. They made a home in Arizona. Walter was an Electrical Engineer by trade, but did not shy away from manual labor to make ends meet. Catalina, a Commerce graduate, worked bookkeeping at a utility company in Bacolod, clerical for the Mohave County courthouse in Kingman, and eventually resigned to enjoying her job as a homemaker. 

In 2009, Catalina fell and broke her hip, which rendered her bedbound. Walter proved to be a tireless and dedicated caregiver for his wife until he fell ill to lung cancer. Walter and Catalina led a roller coaster life, but through it all, they instilled in their children the values of family, hard work, integrity, respect, and “making do with what you have.” At age 82, Walter succumbed to lung cancer on May 25, 2015. He is survived by his remaining younger siblings, Eva Garcia, Edna Garcia, Celina Caram and Alex Labayen.  At age 83, Catalina fell asleep for the last time, on May 13, 2016, while she was taking treatment for COPD. She is survived by her only remaining sibling, her older sister, Purificacion Tanana Salon Yap. Walter and Catalina are survived by six children (Zenia McCombs, Rey Labayen, Walt Labayen, Jr., Mariza Labayen, Allen Labayen, and Menchu Swartwood), 6 grandchildren (Janelle Ammons, Katherine Smith, Nikki Swartwood, Nathan Swartwood, Shalana O’Brien, and Nolan Labayen) and 4 great grandchildren (Dominic Lemmons, Bentley Mitchell, Miles Swartwood, and Jake Swartwood). May Walter and Cataline rest in peace--they are greatly loved and missed.