Diana Villegas Quinn: November 24, 1943 - January 28, 2017

Diana Villegas with Natividad Salvador
Balintawak Memoirs '69

Life Sketch

Diana Acosta Villegas Quinn

read by Myrna Novilunio Dial

Diana Acosta Villegas was born during WWII on November 24, 1943 to Jose P. Villegas and Rufina Acosta Villegas, in San Miguel, Tarlac, Philippines. She was the third of six children to be born into the Villegas family.

As a child, she attended elementary and high school on the old Philippine Union College campus. Upon graduation, in 1966, Diana began a teaching career that spanned over 30 years.  In 1968 she applied to be a teacher in the United States. However, visa and job offers never coincided. So with no job in view and the window of opportunity to enter the United States about to expire, she borrowed money for airfare and flew into Los Angeles International Airport with a suitcase, a little spending money, and no place to go or stay. Fortunately, Abe De Guzman’s family, who she had known in the Philippines happened to be at the airport to meet relatives just arriving, saw Diana and offered her a ride toTita Torres’ house where Yollie Ganela invited her to stay with her.

Diana initially found work as a secretary at Fredericks of Hollywood. Riding the buses through Los Angeles she often wondered if coming to America had been a mistake. However, it was not long before she was hired as a ward clerk at White Memorial Medical Center and found lodging with several Filipinas in East LA. After a year there, she took a teaching job at a Catholic girls’ high school and purchased her first car, a Volkswagen on her $500.00 a month salary.

Diana attended the East Los Angeles SDA Church and became acquainted with a young pastor named Ed Johnson and his wife Marilyn, who became lifelong friends. Pastor Johnson, aware of a math teaching position at Lynwood Academy, was instrumental in her hiring at Lynwood where she worked for 12 years.

In 1977 a new science teacher, Thomas Quinn, was hired by Lynwood Academy and his classroom happened to be right next to hers. This was the beginning of a working relationship as teachers together at the same schools for most of their teaching careers. Tom was the first man who believed in Diana’s ideas and goals and supported her in these. Their working relationship grew as did their love and they married on July 29, 1979. Diana Acosta Villegas became Mrs. Thomas Quinn.

Diana had undergone fibroid surgery in 1976, and because she desperately wanted to have children she asked the surgeon to preserve her uterus if possible. Believing that she would never have children she was overjoyed when she gave birth to her beautiful daughter, Catherine Joy, on November 12, 1980. Diana’s joy doubled when she gave birth to her handsome son, Christopher Joseph, on July 12, 1982.

Within the next few years, Lynwood Academy property went into eminent domain and the Quinn family moved to Loma Linda, where Diana was hired to teach math at Redlands Jr. Academy. She taught there for a year, then joined Tom who had been hired at Loma Linda Jr. Academy. Students loved being in her “home room” because she was the “party teacher” and would often cook egg rolls or wontons for them on Fridays. She left Loma Linda after 5 years and once again joined Tom who had transferred to Pacific High School in San Bernardino. As in the previous schools, she taught math until she was designated as the program facilitator in charge of testing, as well as being in charge of a multimillion budget to improve instruction. Her last job in education was as a program facilitator where she followed Tom, once again, to San Bernardino High School. She occupied an office in the Library where Tom was the Librarian. With mounting pressure to change the results of the school testing to the state, Diana retired from the educational system. Never one to remain idle, Diana entered the world of real estate and Tom left the teaching profession to join her several years later to continue to work as partners in life and career.

Diana suffered for many years with asthma and respiratory illness. Often confined to bed she continued to work in real estate with Tom doing the follow up. Her last sale came just before she passed away. Diana was suffering with shortness of breath, congestion and coughing spells all during the months of November and December 2016. Exhausted from the effort to breathe, Diana checked into LLUMC ER on January 3. Little did anyone realize the extent and severity of her medical condition at the time. Once admitted and subjected to x-rays, biopsy, CT scan, and bronchoscopy, it was discovered that she had stage 4 lung cancer. Diana had survived breast cancer in 2015 and no trace of it had been discovered since. This was a new and rapidly invasive cancer. Doctors decided that because of the rapid growth of the cancer, radiation and chemotherapy were not going to be productive. Because Diana’s life was sustained by artificial means she made the decision to let God make the determination on her life and the breathing tube was removed on Saturday, January 28. Diana passed peacefully away that day at 4:47 PM with family and friends by her side loving her to the end.

Diana was a loving wife, mother, daughter, and sister. She loved flowers, especially yellow roses, lilies and orchids. She took pleasure in feeding birds and would scatter seed on the hillside behind her home for them to eat. Diana loved God, life, her husband, her “miracle” children, teaching mathematics, real estate, entrepreneurship, and being a dreamer. She was instrumental in changing the math curriculum in many schools which allowed students greater opportunities for success. She has had a wide influence on people as evidenced by the outpouring of condolences from classmates, students, friends, family and colleagues. Diana, you are loved and you are missed. 

Mahal kita Diana!    

Tom

My dearest friend… I came to say goodbye

then clasped your hand for one last time.

so soon you left, my heart did cry

you left quietly near the setting of the sun.  

The battle hard you bravely fought

no words are fit to speak your worth

Your faith endured until the end

taught us in God we all depend

As earth’s soft sod becomes your bed

tearful raindrops will descend

breeze will hum a mournful rhyme

clouds will shroud the blue-domed sky

Rest now, my friend, t’will not be long

the wait…God’s promises are sure

One day He’ll come and then restore

Life will be richer than before.  

In our hearts…your life, love and generous spirit will live on.

For now…good night…

We cling to that faith and hope as God has promised, it will soon be morning!

What a glorious day it will be!

Tom, CJ, Chris, Beverly, Joseph, family and friends, may you find comfort in God’s promise, 

“Behold I come quickly.”

-- Myrna Novilunio Dial