Imelda Opiana Anderson

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Imelda Opiana Anderson

Imelda Opiana Anderson was born April 2, 1957 in Bangued, Abra in the Philippines.  She was born on the family farm, the family midwife delivered all or most of the children instead of going to the hospital in the city.  Imelda was the 5th oldest child in a family of 11 children – 3 boys and 8 girls.  The Badilla family was very big and needed Imelda’s aunt Laurina to help raise the children.  Aunt Laurina played a very large role in raising Imelda.  Aunt Laurina couldn’t have children of her own and treated Imelda as her own child.  Aunt Laurina was a very important person to Imelda.  Imelda graduated college from Abra Valley College, she studied to be a secretary.  She wanted to be a registered nurse, but her family didn’t have the money to send her to school.  Imelda’s first job was in a government office in the Philippines, an assessor’s office.  It was Imelda’s biggest dream to move away from the poverty and hard life in the Philippines and move to Canada.  She started this process by moving to Hong Kong in 1983.  She moved to Canada in 1985 when she was 28 years old.  Imelda’s first job in Canada was as a nanny, and later had a variety of odd jobs like cleaning offices.  She also volunteered at Bow View Manor, a place that later paid for Imelda’s schooling to become a nursing assistant.  She worked as a nursing assistant at Bow View Manor and Carewest Fanning Centre.  Imelda visited home in the Philippines (the first time after moving away) in 1987.  Imelda met Dwayne Anderson in 1988 and married in December 1990.  In 1991, Tiffany Laurina Anderson was born.  Imelda’s dad passed away in 1993 and Imelda’s mom passed away in 1994.  Imelda and Dwayne bought their first brand new house in 1995.  1995 continued to be a good year and Imelda visited home in the Philippines with 4 year old Tiffany.  Aunty Laurina passed away in 2008.  The house mortgage was paid off in 2013, another one of Imelda’s big dreams to come true.  Imelda and the North American sisters travelled to the Philippines for a big family reunion in 2016 and stayed in the Phillipines for almost 2 months.  Imelda Anderson passed away from a heart attack in March 2017 at the age of 59 years old.  She lived a brave and successful life, was loved by many, and will be greatly missed.