Carlos "Carling" Ibarra

https://youtu.be/gkxHxAhCSQw?t=0&si=u3dmzVffkKm5Tvnk

Carlos “Carling” Manansala Ibarra was born on May 23, 1948 in San Antonio Guagua, Pampanga, Philippines. His parents were Democrito Capati Ibarra and Nunelon Manansala. He was the 7th child out of 8 children (4 boys and 4 girls), and has 6 half-brothers and 2 half-sisters, for a total of 16 siblings! His mother, Nunelon, passed away when he was younger than 5 years old. He was adopted by his Auntie, Fortunata Ibarra Juco aka “Inang Atang,” who raised him as his own. This is how he formed a special bond with his cousin, Zenaida Juco.

Carlos attended San Antonio Elementary School in Guagua, Pampanga and graduated from Guagua National Colleges in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. One of Carlos’ first jobs was working in the Philippine Congress doing office administrative work. He eventually became an elementary teacher in Pampanga where he taught 5th grade and gardening/shop.

While teaching, he began dating the love of his life, Elisa Manalo Paulino, who was also a teacher at a nearby school. He and Elisa got married on December 27, 1977 (civil wedding) and again on January 8, 1978 (San Antonio Parish Church). They were married 47 years, and together they had three children – Wayne (46), Cindy (41), and Joseph (38).

Carlos left everything behind and immigrated to the USA in 1975 in search of a better life with the help of his brother, Alfredo Ibarra. He initially lived in Bremerton, WA with his dad and siblings where Alfredo was stationed in the US Navy. He settled down in Beacon Hill, Seattle, WA while studying Office Skills at the Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center (SOIC). Later, the family relocated to Lynnwood, WA in 1996. Carlos was a hard worker and had a strong work ethic, often working full-time and part-time jobs simultaneously to provide for his family. His full-time roles were working at Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company as a Claims Clerk for 27 years, followed by the University of Washington in Patient Financial Services for 10 years, eventually retiring in 2013. His part time jobs included processing checks at Washington Mutual and working at movie theaters. Although Carlos did not have much, he earned every dollar and took pride in sending all three of his children to private Catholic elementary and high schools and paying for their college tuition at the University of Washington, giving them a “strong foundation” to be successful as he would say. He even bought each of them brand new cars after teaching them how to drive.

Carlos was diagnosed with Diabetes when he was 37 years old, but he didn’t let that affect his livelihood for most of his life. In his last several years of his life, he suffered from and eventually succumbed to Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a very rare neurological disorder that affected his balance, ability to walk, talk and swallow, and his mood and behavior. But we will not let Carlos’ health challenges overshadow how we remember him.

Carlos was an avid gardener often spending his evenings and weekends in his yard. He found it rewarding to see plants multiply and often gifted plants to others. He enjoyed bringing family and friends to watch complimentary movies, a perk of working at the movie theater on weekends. He was a proud Catholic - religious, a man of faith, routinely attended Sunday mass, and would spend his evenings praying the rosary. Carlos was family oriented – he enjoyed hosting family parties, dancing, and being Santa Claus during Christmas parties. He was always there for his family, especially in times of need and was a father-figure and well-loved by many. His friends would describe him as kind, welcoming, generous, and having a warm and big heart. He loved Elisa’s cooking, especially her arroz caldo, kare kare, chocolate meat, and pancit. Some of his favorite restaurants were Wendy’s, Azteca, and Red Robin. He had a sweet tooth and could always be found with a can of Diet Pepsi in hand.

Carlos is survived by his wife Elisa, three children – Wayne (Amorelle), Cindy (Jason), and Joseph (Roxy), and 7 grandchildren – Emilia (9), Irie (6), Rafael (6), Aidalyn (4), Zaya (4), Isaac (3), and Nico (2). Carlos passed away peacefully on December 8, 2024 in his home in Lynnwood, WA, surrounded and held by his loved ones as he breathed his last breath. He was 76 years old.

While the family is heartbroken, they are comforted knowing that Carlos is finally free from suffering and that he can finally “take my rest” as he would say after a long day of work or gardening. We are grateful to God for blessing us with Carlos in our lives and for all those who he touched. He will be missed deeply, but we will never forget the love and lessons he taught us all. Rest in peace, Carling.