Juan Dysanco Paraiso
Obituary
Juan Dysanco Paraiso, age 79, was born on March 27, 1942 in Gumaca City, Quezon, Philippines to Ernesto and Luisa Paraiso. He was the second eldest among 13 siblings that, in order, included Carmen, himself, Frank, Nida, Felix, Eusebia, Alfredo, Roberto, Carmencita, Renato, Eduardo, Angelito and Ricardo. He was preceded in death by Carmen, Eusebia and Angelito.
Juan grew up in the hustle of Manila where he applied his wits at the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) and graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. In early 1968, Juan was hired by Boeing under a select program and immigrated to the United States, eventually becoming a naturalized citizen.
Juan began his courtship to his “darling” Alicia in the Philippines. Though she was elusive at first, his persistence won her heart. They married on October 21, 1968 and remained faithfully committed to one another for over 53 years. Juan would perform his best Paul Anka impersonation and sing to his Alicia, “You are my destiny!” Together, they raised a beautiful family.
He and Alicia spent their early married life in California. In 1975 they moved to Washington and ultimately settled down in Kent, Washington in 1977. He obtained his Professional Engineer license and made the San Francisco Bay Area and the Puget Sound region better places through his engineering designs and oversight that included the Seattle Metro Tunnel and SeaTac International Airport expansion projects.
He was a proud Dad to Carolyn, Jason, Dane (Carolyn’s husband) and Carla (Jason’s wife). They loved his balance of protective patriarch and actually laughable dad humor. He was also an adored Grandpa to Kiana and Colton. With intelligence and patience, he tutored his young children and grandchildren on their math and science assignments. As a devoted father and grandfather, he was a constant presence at every pageant, piano or dance recital, tennis match, swim or gymnastics meet, and speech and debate tournament–always cheering and taking a photo or video.
Juan, often called “Johnny,” loved to joke around with his dear friends of the Friday Circle. They ate, talked, laughed, danced and sang karaoke into the wee hours of many Saturday mornings. They also took the party on the road and traveled to any and every far flung place imaginable. If you could think of it, he had the passport stamps along with the “Friday Circle” T-shirt to show for it.
In his retirement years, he deepened his relationship with the Lord. He was an active volunteer at St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church. He helped lead fundraising efforts for the Filipino-American Annual Spring Festival Fundraiser as committee treasurer. He helped everywhere he could, performing electrical facility handy work, assisting with church publications, and singing in the choir.
In his late years, he was diagnosed with diabetes and eventually began receiving kidney dialysis. He was hospitalized and unable to fight off COVID pneumonia. He passed away on March 1, 2022, a few weeks ahead of his 80th birthday.
Johnny lived a very full life. He made himself from very little and became a great engineer, businessman and volunteer. He enjoyed life, traveling the world with his darling wife, raising his successful children and grandchildren, and developing lasting friendships that won him deserving respect as a good man. The adoration he earned accrued well beyond family relatives. For Filipinos, Kuya is a term of respect and endearment for an older brother, and he was called Kuya by many.
In lieu of flowers, Kuya Johnny and his family would appreciate donations to St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church (https://ststephenslife.churchgiving.com/ws/opportunities/One-TimeDonation/donate and include “In memory of Juan Dysanco Paraiso” in the Comment field so it can be recorded) or Northwest Kidney Center (https://www.nwkidney.org/how-to-help/donate-online/), where he received dialysis from the caring doctors, nurses and staff during his final months.
To view Juan’s livestream Visitation and Rosary at Bonney-Watson Washington Memorial Funeral Home please visit https://my.gather.app/remember/juan-paraiso
A funeral mass will be held at St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church (13055 SE 192nd St, Renton, WA 98058) on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at 11:00am with a reception to follow. If attendance in person is not possible, the mass will be livestreamed at https://ststephenslife.com/funeral-mass-livestream.
Our Lord saw him getting tired and a cure was not to be. He wrapped him in his loving arms and whispered ‘Come with me.’ He suffered much in silenced his spirit did not bend. He faced his pain with courage, until the very end. He tried so hard to stay with us but his fight was not in vain. God took him to His loving home and freed him from the pain. My heart ache for losing Mr. Paraiso, but we know he is in a much better place with Jesus. Kary and I would like to extend our sincerest sympathy to you and the rest of the family. We are always here for you. We love you both.
Marie Millora & Myrna M. Naces
Marie & Myrna
To Alicia and Family, I am honored to be included as part of the Filipino community and your friend. We had some fun times traveling together. On our bus trip to Our Lady of the Rockies, another traveler reminded how it was Johnny who took such wonderful pictures of our group. I had still hoped after pandemic was over, the 3 of us could visit Divine Mercy Shrine in Massachusetts near my sister’s home. Johnny also helped me plan a trip to the Philippines which never happened. You will be missed Juan and we will continue to surround Alicia with our love and friendship.
Terry A. Faustino
16530 NW Joscelyn St.
Beaverton, OR 97006
0ur hearts are broken and heaven welcomed a beautiful soul. God must have in need of an engineer to fix things around His throne. God gained a special angel. Fly high our Kuya Jun and watch Ate Alice and family. May you rest in peace and enjoy the company of the blessed, Holy Angels and Saints in heaven.
Thank you for the love and care. Rest in peace Kuya Jun.
Johnny was not just a friend but a business partner too! I will miss him – his smile, his humor, and camaraderie! Above all, his expertise when it comes to computer matters, where he taught me a lot! Thank you, Johnny, and may you Rest in Peace! Our deepest sympathies and condolences to Alice and the entire Paraiso family!
We were so shocked & saddened learning about Johnny’s untimely departure from this world. Our heartfelt condolence & prayers to you Alice & all in your family. Johnny left us all a litany of countless unforgettable good memories : his unselfish helpfulness in every aspect where help was needed not just in church fundraising events but also in our (my husband & me) personal relationship with him and Alice. Thank you so much Johnny for everything you have done for us, for everything you were to us, your ( & Alice’s) hospitality when we were invited to your home & for making it easy for us working with you in the church Spring Festival big fundraising annual event.
May God grant eternal rest to your soul now that you’ve gone to a better place where there’s no more pains & crying. May you rest in peace now our dear friend.
Alice we are always here for you .
We grieve with our dear Alice and her family on the untimely demise of our friend, Johnny! We join you in praying for the eternal rest of his soul, and for his loved ones who mourn, to have the strength to accept God’s will and fill their hearts with pleasant memories of Johnny! Our deepest sympathy and prayers!
I remember when I first met Johnny. I was carrying my guitar for our very first choir practice. He met me at the door and offered to carry my guitar. I said to myself “wow, what a gentleman.” As years went by, I realized that this was his true character, always very helpful to others. I witnessed his generosity, sharing his time, talent and treasure in all our activities and fundraising events at St Stephen the Martyr Church. As a choir member, he was very committed in learning his bass part and even enrolled in voice lessons to improve himself. I consider myself fortunate to have met Johnny and maintain friendship with him for over 20 years now.I will certainly miss him but I am consoled that he is in a much better place now singing with the choirs of angels. To Alice and family, our thoughts and prayers at this most difficult time.
To Tita Alice, Carolyn and Jason. We have countless memories with all of you. I was just talking with Carolyn about how blessed we as children were to grow up with such a loving community of parents who loved each other and loved all of us so well. Tito Johnny was a big part of that community and the Amorantos are forever thankful. There was never a doubt that he or your mom would be there for my dad, mom, Cristy, Donna or me if we were ever in need. He always had a smile on his face, was quick to laugh and filled with joy. I clearly remember him at my wedding line dancing with a flower on each ear. Joy! We love you all and share in your sadness. We will be praying overwhelming peace and comfort over your family during this time. The Lord is near. So much love to you all.
Ros, Chit, Rowena, Cristy and Donna Amoranto
We met Johnny and Alice through Fil-Am Spring Festival fund raising annual event at St Stephen the Martyr in Renton and how we were impressed by their dedication to the annual event. This dedication made Johnny very visible to the event for not only did he offer sensible opinions during meetings but was also physically involved in setting up tables and chairs in every event. At the end of the events which went beyond midnight he would stay for the cleanup and would humbly carry garbage bags to the dumpsters. We were also beneficiaries of Johnny and Alice’s beautiful hearts. They welcomed us pick some fruits from their fig tree. Johnny was always enthusiastic showing us the bounty of their yard. To Alice and family we offer our deepest sympathies and condolences for the passing of Johnny. May our prayers ease you through this difficult time.
Alice, I pray that the love of family and friends will give you strength in the days ahead. Comfort and Peace. Art Condes
We fondly remember the magnificent wedding of Carolyn and Dane in Bellevue, so aptly orchestrated by Johnnie. He was the wide-angle cameraman at the Fil-Am events to keep those images for posterity. With the combination of commitment, zeal and elbow grease, SSTM grotto took shape to be a holy Marian shrine.
We co-emceed the 2007 Spring Festival to introduce Reverend Father Edward White to our faith community.
Johnnie was always on hand, assisting us with lights for the Filipiniana Krismas tree at the Narthex and maintaining his beloved grotto.
I joined him in the SSTM Pastoral Council during his last year of leadership.
We had the gift of your friendship (and darling Alice) since 1993 with the birth of AFEW and the Spring Festival. We weathered ups and downs, zigs and zags through the years.
At one time, he videoed Tony and I doing the newly-learned “Swing” moves from Manila and made it a tutorial!
The times we spent on Fridays with the circle at your spacious family room/den amidst the food, the fun, list of jokes, songs and dance are priceless.
Pre-covid, he painstakingly uprooted green plum mature starts for Beth Santos and me from their lush paradise.
As we look out from our breakfast room, the small tree will always bring to mind the unselfish spirit of sharing when it comes back to life every spring.
Requiescat in pace, Juan in Paraiso.
Jun & Zenaida Bruan
Jun & Zeny Bruan
My friend Johnny is gone, but he lives on in the remembrances of his good deeds and the good times we had with him and his darling Alice.
As a father, Johnny not only helped his young children with their school work, but also taught them all about life and values. Carolyn and Jason are now on their own and successful in their chosen careers. Johnny often spoke of them with pride.
As a husband, he was always there for his darling no matter what she needed. He was the embodiment of the oft-repeated phrase “Johnny on the spot”…laging handa to care for his mahal.
As a tireless church volunteer, he was a member of the Fil-Am choir at St Stephen’s. He was a valuable member of the Spring Festival team that ran the annual fund-raisers at St Stephen’s. He was a member of several adhoc committees, among them the group of Filipino architects and engineers that designed and built the grotto on the campus.
Zeny and I are grateful for all the happy times we had with Johnny and the other members of the group called Friday Circle, so called because we met every Friday. We took turns hosting the weekly get-togethers. During each session, we prayed, we ate, we danced, we sang, we swapped stories and jokes of all colors. The green jokes were so clean, devoid of vulgarity, even the ladies in the group liked them.
Friday Circle was a FUN group and Johnny was a big part of it. We laughed out loud freely and frequently largely because of Johnny’s great sense of humor and fun-loving ways. Johnny so loved to sing
our friend Loy fondly called him Luciano Pavarotti. And he got so good at dancing he entered a dance contest in Cancun when our group went there for rest and relaxation. The dance required eye-popping, jaw dropping hip movements, a form of “art” that Johnny had mastered. He won a prize!!!
Wonderful memories have a way of bestowing immortality upon a good person like Johnny. He was every bit as good a person as his friends and associates described him. He was warm, friendly, fun-loving and kindhearted..qualities that drew people to him. Johnny will be missed, but will not be forgotten.
Otchie & Ramon Amado
Our deepest condolences to you again Alice and to your family. May Our God Almighty grant you and your family the strength in this difficult time.You take care and stay safe always. That’s what Johnny would like you to do. I believe he will always watch over you. He’s now your Angel in Heaven. Just remember that you and Johnny were so blessed and had a wonderful life together.
Remember, we really thought Johnny was on his way to recovery that Sunday before he was placed in a ventilator and sedated when he called you up as you shared it with me. He told you he was worried about you and so were you of his condition. God is so good that he gave you both the opportunity to exchange I love you to each other not knowing that would be the last time he would be able to tell you that. I believe that Johnny loved you so much that he didn’t want to see you worry about him anymore considering your own medical issues too. We know that Johnny is now in a better place, no pains, no suffering and now in Peace with the Lord.
Johnny was truly a special friend and we’ll surely miss him. Rest In Peace now our dear friend, Johnny 🙏🙏
My Eulogy for My Dad
My name is Jason Paraiso. I am the “favorite son” (as he would say) of Juan Dysanco Paraiso or Johnny. Tomorrow (March 27, 2022), Dad would have celebrated his 80th birthday. In his life he was brother and kuya to 12 siblings, “darling” to my mom, Dad to Carolyn, Dane, Carla and me, and Grandpa to Kiana and Colton. Like many of you who mourn his death and celebrate his life–a life that was lived exceedingly well–I will need to pause to take tearful breaths. I have posted my eulogy here, that may be helpful to you and me if I struggle to keep it together. Also here online, I wrote a few other stories, including one about my favorite DIY project, which would be too much for me to tell aloud.
I want to acknowledge, because I know and I have been told that I very much look like my dad. My cousin MarieLynn, with a bit of help from my Cousin Mena and me, put together a memorial slideshow. Hopefully you have or will get a chance to see it. There are so many pictures where my resemblance to him is undeniable. It is a blessing, especially since people say that he was a very handsome man.
I also want to add that so many people have also told me how considerate, kind and helpful my dad had been to them. I know nearly all of you have your own told and untold stories that I hope you will share with me and my family. I have the deepened experience and complexities of a father/son relationship. Growing up there were times of laughter and tears, joy and anger, love and pain, but he was always there for me as I am sure he was always there for each of you.
I have many stories about my dad during my formative years that epitomize how he was so incredibly smart, resourceful, considerate, supportive, nerdy, geeky, fun-loving, and safety-conscious, which are just some of his wonderful attributes. We will take this one topic at a time.
Metro Buses
When I was growing up, my dad, beyond his 9 to 5, had a lot of activities outside of his engineering profession.
He met with friends and side hustle partners, usually over a variety of vibrant foods. He did yard work, usually in his blue coveralls that often smelled like fresh cut grass. He worked on the family cars, also in those same coveralls that alternatively had the artificially sweet antifreeze or motor oil odor. He spent time learning and teaching computer applications to family and friends, which unsurprisingly carried no remarkable scents. He helped Carolyn and me with our complex mathematics homework with coffee and its aroma, sometimes helping lift heavy eyelids. And he played basketball and pickle ball with me, outdoors in the refreshing Northwest air. What often fell to the bottom of his list was a full night’s rest.
He of course found a solution. When the driver knows who you are or at least knows your stop, it’s ok to bob your nose a bit and fall asleep on the bus.
Flatulence or Farting
No matter what you call it, according to him, he would advise as one part dad and another part engineer, with a delivery that blended sly wit and basic explanation, “It’s just air.”
Neckties
I will warn you this anecdote ends in a dad joke, so prepare yourself to groan.
I learned to properly tie neckties before I started driving. I wore neckties to high school speech and debate tournaments, as an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp cadet, then as an Air Force Officer, and most recently in my corporate jobs (pre-pandemic).
Of course it was dad who taught me how to tie a necktie. And of course, we did not knot half-windsor, we did knot full-windsor.
Pockets
For people who love to travel, there’s something insidiously compelling about clothing with a lot of pockets. Dad loved jackets and vests with plenty of pockets to stash anything and everything he thought he or you might need.
Some of you may already know this, having pockets is helpful to have many things close at hand, but they can be devilishly frustrating. Dad had a lot of things, but he did not always remember where he put them.
Rulers
Based on my dad’s approach, if you’re going to draw a line, draw it straight. In other words, if you’re going to do something, do the best you can with what you have. Also if you don’t have a ruler to draw a line, dad would share his sumptuous, clear acrylic, engineer’s ruler; however, you do need to ensure you put it back or it might lead to a less desirable father/son interaction. Behavior was sometimes motivated by an article of clothing usually worn at waist level. Does anybody else recall the motion? With a tug (at the belt) and a guttural utterance, “AHH! AHH!” Fortunately the motion wasn’t for a ruler.
Paper Airplanes
Dad was the first person to teach me how to fold an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper into a wonder that could fly. I’ll also mention that the sheets were rarely blank, back then he upcycled before we knew it was a thing. Despite the miscellaneous content on the paper, the folds were sharp and precise as one would imagine from an exacting engineer.
Launching those paper planes lifted my childhood curiosity and imagination. Curiosity about science with air passing over the wings surface defying gravity. The imagination about travel and visiting distant places to experience its life and culture.
Not just magical, these moments were also safety minded. Dad always added a fold to the nose, to prevent a pointy paper airplane from poking an eye.
TV Mount
While flat panel televisions and wall mounts are fairly common nowadays, that wasn’t true nearly 20 years ago. When my dad helped me install a TV mount, it was far from his most impressive engineering project. It isn’t even associated with his academic degree and profession of electrical engineer, but it is by far my favorite project of his.
In 2005, Carla and I married at the start of the year in January, we moved from Utah to Virginia in June based on our orders from the Air Force, and mom and dad came to visit in late September / early October.
Several weeks before they arrived, I got permission from Carla to splurge on a 40-inch flat panel television, which was a near luxury spend at the time. In 2005, flat panels televisions still had some heft and were at least twice as heavy as modern flat panels. Carla and my home is a small, modest size and we wanted to get the TV up on our living room wall to lessen the floor footprint. I chose an articulating mount so that we could extend from the wall and angle the TV as desired.
When I looked at the TV mount instructions, my exuberance plummeted. The instructions and hardware were intended for standard home construction where sometimes walls are brick or most often have 2 by 4 wood studs that are placed apart by 16 inches on center. Carla and I live in a mid-rise condo building and unfortunately the wall framing used aluminum studs with very different spacing.
Neither having owned a flat panel television back then nor installed a wall mount, my dad was unflappable. He devised a plan on paper, traveled to the nearby Lowes with me to buy plywood, nuts and bolts, helped me measure, cut, drill, and fasten to ultimately install what surely was among the first handful of its kind–a DIY TV mount installation with an articulating arm.
One of the very last times I spoke with him when he was hospitalized with COVID, we talked about how he was feeling, the food he was eating, what he could see out the window, and what was in his room. Like most hospital rooms, he had a TV and we ended up talking about the TV mount he installed with me.
I mentioned to him, as I tell you now, that TV mount installation is an engineering marvel and my favorite home DIY project ever. It has held without worry for nearly 20 years with at least three televisions, each a bit larger than the previous. The 40-inch television grew to 49 inches. It was recently replaced with a 55-inch Smart TV with an addition of a 38-inch soundbar on top.
If all of these details are too geeky, just know that my dad was never daunted by any situation or task, he would take a calm and rational approach, when he was finished with a project you knew it would stand the test of time and as any great engineer would consider, it had capacity for expansion.
Encyclopedia Set
Before I could drive, before there was the Internet with Google and Wikipedia, and before computer word processing applications, my dad devised a scheme that any adolescent child would consider as torture. Unaffiliated with any school program, each weekday of the summer, my dad assigned a topic to which I was to handwrite a one-page report.
As mentioned, it was the time before Google and Wikipedia and I couldn’t drive myself to the library, so my go-to was an exquisite, expensive, leather-bound encyclopedia Britannica set. Also at that age, the previously mentioned basketball hoop and pickle ball court just outside and my neighbor, Steve who I liken as my childhood brother, was just down the hill, offered activities that were far more compelling.
Dad assigned my daily topic either the night before or each morning before he left for work. I sometimes hoped he’d forget and I could have a lazy summer day, that rarely happened. During each weekday, the 3 and 4 pm hours became a manic time for me–the desire to play, procrastination and avoidance, cramming to read or draft a passage, and occasionally an inspired moment of prose.
I’m unsure if he had any particular interest in how well I wrote. I don’t recall him fact checking. As I reflect, it was about me finding a process to balance having fun and being productive, which he, himself, did exceedingly well. He forced me to organize my day, organize my time so I didn’t have summer brain drain.
The lesson here probably doesn’t require much to explain, but I’ll add a couple of thoughts. Sometimes people who love you make you do things that you don’t appreciate or even dread. In time, you realize what they did was make you better. Today, I think, I write and I work better, even under pressure, thanks to him. Or perhaps he just wanted to get his money’s worth out of that encyclopedia set.
Community
I can’t thank you enough for your support for my dad, my mom, and our family. All of you are here because you loved my dad and he loved you. Each of you have your own stories of how he was and how that made a particular moment, day, or life unimaginably better. He didn’t do that just for me, he did that for everyone and that’s why we will miss him. He is the reason why each of us should strive to do the same things that he did for others in our own lives.
Karen Dial
https://bonneywatson.com/obituary/juan-dysanco-paraiso/#comment-46520
A Daughter’s Tribute to Dad
Before I begin, I want to thank you all for the support, prayers and love you have bestowed upon our family through the years and, most recently, through this difficult time. As I am in California and my brother, Jason, is in Virginia, it is comforting to know that my parents were and that my mom will continue to be surrounded by a wonderful community of friends and family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for surrounding us with your love.
My dad, or Johnny, often referred to me as his “favorite daughter.” I am actually his only daughter, Carolyn Paraiso Abrigana.
My dad is my rock. He kept me grounded and gave me strength and power to accomplish unimaginable things. He gave me a solid foundation both academically and professionally. I can recall countless nights he would stay up with me to the wee hours of the morning helping me with calculus or physics homework. No matter how tired we both were, we would stay up together punching numbers into the calculator and drawing complex graphs and diagrams. As any teenager, I hated calculus and I hated physics and would often get frustrated, but through my tears of frustration, he would pat me on the back and calmly say, “It’s okay. Just keep trying. Don’t quit. You’ll get it.” And we always found a solution together. To make sure that I didn’t fall asleep before my homework was finished, he introduced me to coffee. He valued education and always said, “Education is the most important thing. No one can ever take it away from you.” He made sure I never gave up. He showed me that I can accomplish anything with diligence and perseverance.
He raised me to be strong and independent. He allowed me to be me and pushed me to be the best I could by always pushing and encouraging me to strive higher.
My dad was a proud and loving grandfather, a role he truly loved. When my children, Kiana and Colton, were in grade school, my parents would visit every year for Grandparents’ Day. This was an opportunity for the kids to show off their schoolwork and art projects to Grandma Alice and Grandpa. And Grandma and Grandpa were treated to a special meal as they watched their grandchildren perform and sing songs from the 50s and 60s. Every year for this event, not only was my dad a proud grandfather to Kiana and Colton—taking pictures of them and praising them for their excellent schoolwork—but also a stand-in grandfather to another little boy in Colton’s class whose grandparents were unable to attend. Dad proudly stood in and treated the little boy as his own—taking photos of him, looking at his projects, and giving him words of encouragement and praise for good work as if he were his own. He didn’t want that little boy to feel left out nor did he ever want anyone to feel left out.
As many of you know, he was generous man, always willing to help and contribute. During many of his visits to our home in California, he often performed handyman tasks for us—especially electrical work… upgrading light switches or installing new light fixtures. When we put our pool in, he installed lamp posts in our backyard and helped us mix and pour cement. When we were done, we all put our handprints in the concrete pad as a tribute to the work we had done, and, after 15 years, those handprints are still there.
He loved my mom, his “darling” Alicia of over 53 years. They danced and sang together, and they traveled the world together. In his last days, from his hospital bed he would ask me, “How is your mom? Is she okay?” “Yes, Dad, she is doing well.” And he would respond, “Oh. That’s good. Just keep checking on her.” “Yes, Dad, I will.” There is nothing he wouldn’t do for her. He loved his wife and he loved his family, always putting our needs and wants ahead of his own ensuring we had the best.
He never wanted to be a burden, and his last words to me as we FaceTimed before he went into the ICU were, “Don’t worry about me, Carolyn. Don’t worry. I’ll be okay. I’ll be okay.” And we said goodbye.
Dad, I can picture you now, singing and dancing with the angels in heaven; enjoying a feast larger than your stomach can handle, overflowing with colorful fruits and berries, apple pie, pancit, lechon, and, of course, as many of your favorite Habit burgers as you can eat.
Dad, until we meet again, I will miss you and I will always treasure the wonderful dad and grandfather you are. Thank you for being my dad. I love you.