Severina Dag-oy Caldona

THE LIFE STORY OF NARAY RINA

NANAY RINA, OR INANG SEVI, AS WE LOVINGLY CALLED HER, WAS
BORN ON FEBRUARY 16, 1939, IN THE MOUNTAINOUS AREA OF MATUE,
GREGORIO DEL PILAR, ILOCOS SUR, INTO AN INDIGENOUS KANKANAEY
CLAN. SHE WAS THE SECOND ELDEST OF THE FIVE SIBLINGS OF LOLO
SEBRONO DAG-OY AND APONG MARIA, OR APONG ANGGIT LASAN, AS
SHE WAS CALLED.

SHE WAS ONLY ABOUT FOUR YEARS OLD WHEN THE JAPANESE
OCCUPATION BEGAN AND THE PHILIPPINES WAS INVADED AND
OCCUPIED. HER MATERNAL GREAT-GRANDPARENTS, THE LASANS,
WERE FROM BESAO, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE. NANAY RINA CLAIMED THAT
THE LASANS WERE OF PURELY SPANISH DESCENT. HOWEVER,
BECAUSE OF THE JAPANESE INVASION, THE FAMILY EVENTUALLY
DECIDED TO SETTLE IN CERVANTES, ILOCOS SUR.
HER PATERNAL ANCESTORS, THE DAG-OYS, WERE ALSO FROM BESAO.
FACED WITH THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES, THEY CHOSE TO SETTLE IN
THE WESTERN MOUNTAINOUS AREA OF MATUE, GREGORIO DEL PILAR.
FROM A YOUNG AGE, NANAY RINA DEVELOPED A DEEP LOVE FOR
JEHOVAH. AND AT THE AGE OF 15. SHE WAS BAPTIZED ON MARCH 7,
1954.

SHE HERSELF PROVED THE TRUTHFULNESS OF ISAIAH 41:10, WHICH
SAYS: "DO NOT BE AFRAID, FOR I AM WITH YOU. DO NOT BE ANXIOUS,
FOR I AM YOUR GOD. I WILL FORTIFY YOU, YES, I WILL HELP YOU. I WILL
REALLY HOLD ON TO YOU WITH MY RIGHT HAND OF RIGHTEOUSNESS."
HER YOUNGEST BROTHER, EDUARDO, SAID, "SHE BECAME A SPIRITUAL
FORTRESS" TO HER YOUNGER SIBLINGS AND TO THE FAMILY, WITH THE
HELP OF HER ALREADY-MARRIED SISTER, FILOMENA, AND HER
BROTHER-IN-LAW, RAFAEL

LOLO SEBRONO AND APO ANGGIT WERE OCCUPIED WITH THE
DIFFICULT SITUATION FACING THE FAMILY, WHILE ATE FILOMENA WAS
ALREADY MARRIED. AS A RESULT, NANAY RINA TOOK ON THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF CARING FOR HER THREE YOUNGER SIBLINGS-OLIVA,
LEONARDA, AND EDUARDO. AS TIME WENT BY, OLIVA AND EDUARDO,
STILL AT A YOUNG AGE, WERE ALREADY BEING REQUIRED TO PLOW
THE FIELDS AND GROW CROPS. NANAY RINA ALSO BECAME A HELPER
IN THE GROWING DRESSMAKING BUSINESS OF ATE FILOMENA AND
KUYA RAFAEL TO HELP MAKE ENDS MEET.
WHILE THE FAMILY WAS STRUGGLING, NANAY RINA REMAINED
SPIRITUALLY FOCUSED AND SOUGHT JEHOVAH'S PROTECTION
WHILE CARING FOR THE FAMILYS NEEDS. SHE CHOSE TO SPEND
MORE OF HER TIME IN THE MINISTRY AND DECIDED TO ENTER THE
RANKS OF THE REGULAR PIONEERS ON JUNE 1, 1962.

NANAY RINA CHOSE TO BECOME ONE OF THE EARLY NEED-
GREATERS, VOLUNTEERING TO SERVE IN THE MOUNTAINOUS
AREAS OF CERVANTES, NARVACAN, AND STA. MARIA, ILOCOS SUR,
AND LATER IN BASCO, BATANES. IT WAS THERE THAT SHE MET THE
TUBALI FAMILY-TATAY INOY AND NANAY MOLING, WHO WERE
THEN SERVING AS SPECIAL PIONEERS, AND THEIR FIVE-YEAR-OLD
DAUGHTER, STENILY.

NANAY RINA WAS ALREADY ENJOYING HER REGULAR PIONEERING
SERVICE IN BASCO, BATANES, WHEN SHE RECEIVED EXCITING NEWS:
EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 1, 1966, SHE WOULD BE SERVING AS A
SPECIAL PIONEER IN MARIVELES, BATAAN. SHE CONTINUED IN THIS
SERVICE UNTIL FEBRUARY 28, 1977.

TOGETHER WITH HER PARTNER, LINA ANCHETA, SHE ARRIVED IN
THE ISOLATED TOWN OF MARIVELES, BATAAN, WHERE THERE
WERE ONLY A FEW WITNESSES-FEWER THAN TEN. ONE OF THEM
WAS AMANG RODRING, OR TATAY ROD. HE FREQUENTLY
ACCOMPANIED THE TWO SPECIAL PIONEERS AND LATER JOINED
THEM IN THE REGULAR PIONEERING WORK. THEY WORKED
DILIGENTLY IN THEIR ASSIGNED TERRITORY UNTIL THE
CONGREGATION IN MARIVELES WAS EVENTUALLY FORMED.

LATER, TATAY ROD AND NANAY RINA WERE MARRIED ON JUNE 13,
1970. AFTER WORKING TOGETHER FOR SOME TIME AS A SPECIAL
PIONEER COUPLE, THEY RECEIVED AN INVITATION TO TRAIN FOR
THE CIRCUIT WORK. HOWEVER, NANAY RINA WAS ALREADY
PREGNANT AND EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTIES WITH HER
PREGNANCY, SO THEY DECIDED NOT TO ACCEPT THE INVITATION
AND INSTEAD CONTINUED IN THE SPECIAL PIONEERING WORK. TWO
CHILDREN, EUNICE AND LEMUEL, WERE BORN WHILE THEY WERE
SERVING IN THE SPECIAL FULL-TIME MINISTRY AND THE YOUNGEST
CHILD WAS BORN AFTER, DENNIS.
THE MODEST LIVING CONDITIONS OF A SPECIAL PIONEER COUPLE
EVENTUALLY BECAME INSUFFICIENT TO MEET THE FAMILY;S GROWING
FINANCIAL NEEDS. THEREFORE, TATAY ROD AND NANAY RINA DECIDED
TO LEAVE THE SPECIAL PIONEERING RANK ON FEBRUARY 28, 1977.
YEARS PASSED, AND NANAY RINA AND ATE STENILY CROSSED PATHS
ONCE AGAIN. BY THEN, BOTH HAD GROWN CHILDREN. LEMUEL AND
JENNYLYNN WERE EVENTUALLY MARRIED, AND DENNIS ALSO MARRIED
ELIJAH, JENNYLYNNS FIRST COUSIN. BOTH SONS EVENTUALLY
SETTLED IN THE UNITED STATES.

WHEN LEMUEL RECEIVED HIS U.S. CITIZENSHIP, HE PETITIONED FOR
TATAY ROD AND NANAY RINA. THEY ARRIVED IN THE UNITED STATES
ON DECEMBER 25, 2009, AND REMAINED IN WASHINGTON STATE FOR
ALMOST 17 YEARS.

ALTHOUGH SHE NEVER RETURNED TO THE REGULAR PIONEERING
RANK, NANAY RINA WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORTED HER HUSBAND
AND CHILDREN, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AND GRANDCHILD IN THEIR FULL-
TIME SERVICE, ESPECIALLY HER DAUGHTER EUNICE, WHO SERVED
WITH HER HUSBAND, ORLANDO, IN THE CIRCUIT WORK AND NOW IN
THE TEACHING FIELD. NANAY RINA ALSO FREQUENTLY JOINED THEM
AS AN AUXILIARY PIONEER WHENEVER SHE COULD.

SHE LIVED A LIFE OF LOYAL DEDICATION AND FAITHFULNESS TO
JEHOVAH AND ENJOYED A RICH SPIRITUAL JOURNEY DESPITE THE
MANY DIFFICULT TRIALS HER FAMILY FACED. SHE NEVER GAVE UP
AND MAINTAINED A LIFELONG RECORD OF 72 YEARS OF FAITHFUL
SERVICE TO JEHOVAH WITHOUT LETUP. SHE WILL BE REMEMBERED
THROUGH THE SPIRITUAL LEGACY THAT SHE AND TATAY ROD BUILT
TOGETHER, A LEGACY THAT CONTINUES THROUGH THEIR CHILDREN
AND GRANDCHILDREN. HER DEEP SPIRITUALITY, SELF-SACRIFICING
SPIRIT, RESILIENCE, GENEROSITY, HOSPITALITY, AND FORGIVING
NATURE ARE AMONG THE FINE QUALITIES THAT WILL LINGER
FOREVER IN THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO KNEW AND LOVED HER,
ESPECIALLY HER FAMILY.

TATAY ROD AND NANAY RINA WERE BLESSED WITH THREE CHILDREN:
EUNICE, LEMUEL, AND DENNIS: ONE SON-IN-LAW. ORLANDO; AND TWO
DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW. JENNYLYNN AND ELIJAH. THEY ALSO ENJOYED
SIX GRANDCHILDREN: LEMUEL JAHRED, DENICE JUSTINE, DENNIS-
JAHRREN, ELIJAH-DENN, ETHAN-JEDIAEL, AND EDREI- PRYME.

SHE IS ALSO SURVIVED BY HER THREE SIBLINGS, OLIVA, LEONARDA,
AND EDUARDO, AS WELL AS SEVEN NEPHEWS, EIGHT NIECES, 19
GRANDNEPHEWS, I1 GRANDNIECES, THREE GREAT-GRANDNEPHEWS.
AND THREE GREAT-GRANDNIECES.