Obituary of Pelayo Jamer Operario

Pelayo Operario, 86 Pelayo "Payo" Operario, 86, of Surigao Del Norte, Philippines, passed away, Thursday, August 25, 2016, at Caldwell Memorial Hospital, Columbia, Louisiana. He was surrounded by family and friends and by his wife, Delia, when he breathed his last. His wake will be on August 28, Sunday, from 1:30-4:00 pm at St. John Catholic Church in Columbia, Louisiana. This will be followed by a mass from 4:00 - 5:00 pm at the same church. His burial will be in the Philippines where his body will be flown. "Payo" was born on a midnight of December 31, 1929 in a far flung and typhoon-battered island of Surigao del Norte, Philippines. He was the 5th of seven children by Marcelo Operario and Gertrudes Jamer. In 1956, he graduated from an Engineering Course at the National University of Manila, Philippines. On June 6, 1957, he married the former beauty queen, Delia Ortiz Herrera of Cantilan, Surigao del Sur. They had 13 children. Payo worked as the District Engineer of Surigao Del Sur, Philippines for many years. He was a humble soul, and loved to read more than talk; loved to think and walk the balmy beaches of the islands. He taught his children more by example rather than by words. He was a quiet man, but he loved his life, his wife, and his children with a gentle and persuasive passion. Payo and his wife Delia immigrated to the United States in 1998. He worked for awhile at Winters Clinic, Columbia, Louisiana. Although highly educated, he was an unassuming man and was beloved by everyone. He is survived by Delia, his wife of 59 years; by 11 of his 13 children; 28 grandchildren; 2 great grandchildren; and by his remaining brother, Antonio Operario of Nevada, USA.