Flora Grace Abilay's Obituary
Flora Grace Taruc Abilay 83, long time resident of North Royalton, OH. Passed away, Saturday, December 26, 2020. Grace is survived by her husband of 54 years, Holland D. Abilay. Dear mother to Darlene (Bryon Verhoeven), H. John, and Melissa Hilsenroth (Troy). Loving grandmother to Madeline, Trey, Kennedy, Lincoln, and Zoey. Sister to Claron (Donna) Taruc, May (Tim) Murphy, Annie Taruc, and George (Anna) Taruc. Aunt to many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents Fermin and Juanita (Grayson) Taruc, and brothers Fermin Jr. (Francisa “Kikay”), Henry (Ligaya), and William.
Grace was Director of Nursing at the former Kaiser Permanente in Parma, OH. Once she retired, she traveled around the world cruising with her husband and friends. Some of the places they traveled to were Italy, China, and Turkey.
She also enjoyed visiting the casinos in Windsor, Atlantic City, Vegas, and Cleveland often. She loved playing in slot tournaments. When she could not go to a casino, she enjoyed playing slots on her tablet, along with Sudoku and Mahjong. She often said she liked to keep her mind active, because it kept her young.
She loved watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Crime shows were something she loved to watch, as well as renovation or home remodeling shows.
If you asked her what her favorite sports team was, she’d say the Cleveland Indians and the Cavaliers. (She could never figure out how football worked.) She and her husband would watch them together when it was on. If she got frustrated with how a team was doing, she’d say “I kamote!” For the longest time, we thought this was a swear word in tagalog, but it turned out to be “sweet potato”!
She loved reading, but said she had to stop, because she would be up all night just so she could finish the book in one sitting. Her favorite authors were Danielle Steel and Mary Higgins Clark. Her grandchildren were the love of her life. She enjoyed having them around her when they came to visit. She could not get enough of them. She also loved spoiling them every chance she got. She’d cook their favorite food, and if she shopped, she would have them in mind. Sales were always important to her. She loved getting a good bargain. Her favorite store became Ross and TJ Maxx.
The family will receive friends at Yurch Funeral Home in Parma, OH., on Wednesday, December 30 from 4 to 8 PM. Service will be at St. Albert the Great in North Royalton, OH on Thursday, December 31st at 10 AM with a burial immediately following at Holy Cross Cemetery. For those that would like to participate in the celebration of Grace’s life, but cannot attend in person, St. Albert will include a virtual mass via their website www.saint-albert.org
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