Pining’s Birthday Party
My aunt Josefina, whom we call Tita Pining, celebrated her 95th birthday with a big birthday bash. The event took place in her home town of Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee. We rented a car at O’Hare airport and picked up my mom and my sister Marg, who had flown in from Florida and New York respectively. My uncle, Tito Monching, drove from Toledo with his wife, Tita Marene.
The night before the party, Tita Pining treated us to dinner at her favorite Chinese restaurant. Then back at the hotel, in true Sevilla family tradition, Marg and I stayed up late helping with last-minute party preparations. There were crafts to assemble - Mom’s origami flowerpot covers, and Tita Pining’s dried flower wreath - and gift bags to stuff. Fortunately, we finished around midnight and were able to get some sleep! The preparations continued the next morning in the parish hall, where Marg inflated “Happy Birthday” balloons and Steve and I zhuzhed up the floral centerpieces with wreaths and blinking lights.
Tita Pining still plays the piano at daily Mass, and did the same for her birthday Mass. Considering her age and the neuropathy that makes all of her fingers permanently numb, I thought the piano sounded pretty good!
After Mass, over 100 guests attended the party downstairs in the parish hall. There was plenty of wine and an impressive feast of Filipino dishes and desserts. For me, the standouts were the delicious mango and ube cakes made by Angeli, a former piano student who is very devoted to Tita Pining. There was live music: Leo’s expert guitar and vocals, Father Ishmael’s Sinatra-style crooning, and a special song by Pining’s friends in the Bel Canto Chorus.
It was great to see my cousins (Tita Pining’s children) Ken, Annemarie (with husband Sid), and Desa (with husband John and kids Gabe, Josette, Zelie, and JP). Ken is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, so we were especially happy that he was well enough to attend.
At breakfast the next morning, Tita Pining (95), Tito Monching (88), and my mom (85) shared stories about growing up in post-WWII Manila and about some of our more colorful ancestors. Tita Pining emigrated from the Philippines to the United States in 1958 when she won a Fullbright, and earned a doctorate in Zoology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Nowadays, in addition to playing piano at Mass, she still gives piano lessons. Clearly, Tita Pining has lived to her ripe old age by staying busy!
