‘You loved me without expecting anything in return’: Sharon Cuneta mourns death of late aunt Paz

Megastar Sharon Cuneta penned a lengthy message on Instagram as she remembered her late aunt Paz who passed away in her sleep in Los Angeles, California.

Cuneta first recounted her fondest memories with her late aunt who took care of her and her older brother Chet. Admitting that her late aunt was both “mataray” and “malambing,” she said she feels happy because she was treated as if she was the latter’s own daughter.

Expressing her gratitude for everything her aunt has done to her throughout the years, she wrote: “Thank you for always making sure I was okay, that my children were okay. Thank you for loving us the way only a truly loving Mommy could. Visiting L.A. now will never be the same. How can we continue having fun on our dates to Gyu-Kaku or The Cheesecake Factory without you? Who do I make sumbong to now and get the same reaction from like I used to get from you?”

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One of my favorite Titas passed away in her sleep in Los Angeles the other afternoon. Second to my Mommy, who was the eldest of nine siblings, she took care of me & Kuya Chet often whenever our parents would go on vacation or were on something work-related. We were sent to either Tita Paz’s home in Nichols Air Base (her husband, who passed away only in his 50s when we were young, was a Lt. Col. in the Air Force) or Lolo and Lola’s house in White Plains (now Mama Helen & Daddy Sen. Tito’s). Kuya and I and Tita Paz’s first two of 3 children were the first 4 of many Gamboa apos. So of course we became best friends. Her 3rd, Jeffry, became so close to me that until this day he is like my little brother. A dream of a son. We always enjoyed our Nichols days because though they lived in a small apartment-compared to the big White Plains house-it was a home filled with us kids, lots of love & laughter. She cooked for us endlessly. And she was both mataray and malambing. I loved how she was. Until just a year ago I loved making sumbong to her because she would curse in Kapampangan, Tagalog & English & always threaten to murder whoever upset me! She was so funny. And she treated me like I was one of her own. She raised 3 great kids who absolutely adored her. Kuya James became a pilot in the Air Force before flying for a commercial airline with Kuya Chet, Ate Jo-Ann & I dreamed of becoming doctors together-now she is an OB-GYN married to a surgeon in California and I’m a singer & artista. Jeff is an Engineer who once worked for Boeing & is now owner and founder of Mita’s Kitchen Foods which is sold in groceries in the U.S. -all of them recipes of my Tita Paz. He took care of his Mommy until the very end, along with his loving wife Marian and & daughter Tessa. He is heartbroken. So am I, though not even half as much as Jeff and Ate Jo and Kuya James are. Tita Paz ko, thank you for loving me the way you did, like one of your own. Thank you for always making sure I was okay, that my children were okay. Thank you for loving us the way only a truly loving Mommy could. Visiting L.A. now will never be the same. How can we continue having fun on our dates to Gyu-Kaku or

A post shared by ActorSingerPresenter (@reallysharoncuneta) on Jun 16, 2020 at 10:01pm PDT

The 54-year-old actress also thanked her late aunt for giving her what she described as the “very best & happiest days of my childhood.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of me when I was little. My days in your home in Nichols will always be some of the VERY BEST & HAPPIEST days of my childhood. Thank you for raising Kuya, Ate, & Jeff very well. They remain so devoted to you and it will take a very long time before they - and we - get used to not having you around. Watch over us, Tita ko,” she stated.

Sharing how much she’s going to miss her, she added: “I will miss you so much, my Tita Paz. You loved me without expecting anything in return. I love you very, very much, and forever will. (Kakie, Yellie, and Gugie are sad too...especially Kakie cos she’s older…).”

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The Cheesecake Factory without you? Who do I make sumbong to now and get the same reaction from like I used to get from you? Thank you for taking such good care of me when I was little. My days in your home in Nichols will always be some of the VERY BEST & HAPPIEST days of my childhood. Thank you for raising Kuya, Ate, & Jeff very well. They remain so devoted to you and it will take a very long time before they - and we - get used to not having you around. Watch over us, Tita ko. Especially Jeff. He misses you. He misses you calling his name from your room. He can still smell your scent in your home. I will miss you so much, my Tita Paz. You loved me without expecting anything in return. I love you very, very much, and forever will. (Kakie, Yellie and Gugie are sad too...especially Kakie cos she’s older...)

A post shared by ActorSingerPresenter (@reallysharoncuneta) on Jun 16, 2020 at 10:08pm PDT