Mariano Leuterio - Obituary

n Saturday, November 3, 2007; the beloved husband of Corazon M. Leuterio; father of Hector, Helen, Hedy, Hilda and Herman. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren, many other relatives and friends. Relatives and friends are invited to the GEORGE P. KALAS FUNERAL HOME, P.A., 6160 Oxon Hill Rd., Oxon Hill, MD 20745 for Mr. Leuterio's Life Celebration on Thursday, November 8 from 7 to 9 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, November 9, 2007 at 11am at St. Columba Catholic Church, 7800 Livingston Rd., Oxon Hill, MD. Interment Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Please sign the guestbook at: www.KalasFuneralHomes.com Mariano P. Leuterio July 1928 to November 2007 Mariano was born in Shanghai in 1928. His Philippine father, Hector owned a show band that traveled the Far East from Manila to Hong Kong to Tokyo. Mariano grew up in the Philippines. During the Second World War as a teenager he acted as a guide for American Marines. He came from a family of politicians and diplomats. A number of Leuterio's had served in the Philippine Senate or acted as consul's abroad. His cousin is the current Vice President of the Philippines, Manuel "Noli" Leuterio De Castro, Jr. Mariano excelled in school and graduated at the top of his class at Mapua Institute of Technology. In the national engineering exam for professional engineers, he came in second. He took a position as a project engineer at the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) and worked diligently to improve the lives of his fellow countrymen through irrigation projects. He was assigned to projects all over the Philippines taking his growing family with him on each new assignment. He believed that his greatest achievement was his family, his wife Corazon, and his five children Hector, Helen, Hedy, Hilda and Herman. His tireless efforts were recognized within the NIA and he received an award for outstanding service personally from President Marcos in 1967. He rose to the number two position at NIA, the Deputy Director, where he coordinated projects with USAID and other foreign organizations. Mariano believed that family came first and he knew that his children would benefit from growing up in the USA. It took ten years for his visa application to be approved. By that time his eldest two children were married and did not qualify to come with him. It is a tribute to Mariano's courage and humility that he was prepared to leave a top level post in Manila and become an engineer again working in the field. He was employed by Delon Hampton Associates in the Rockville office and worked on many road projects in Montgomery County and the District. His last project before he had a stroke in 1990 was the reconstruction of the SE-SW Freeway. Mariano exuded a zest for life and a belief in helping others. In his time in Washington he was a member of the District of Columbia Council of Engineering and Architectural Societies where he held a number of positions including being president. At the same time he was a member of the Philippine American Metropolitan Washington Engineers society, again holding many positions, including being president. Both societies looked to help and encourage young people in the professions through scholarships and mentoring. Mariano suffered a stroke in 1990 that left him in a wheelchair. However he never left it get the better of him. He was always excited to see his five children and his thirteen grandchildren. As his condition deteriorated over the years he still was always at the center of family life at his home. His eldest daughter was able to come to the USA when he became ill in 1990. She trained as a nurse to look after him and after Corazon could no longer take care of him on her own they lived with her in Fort Washington for the last two years. Mariano was proud of his children, four of them trained as engineers, two civil, one structural and one computer. All four have owned their own separate business in the USA and in the Philippines and have worked to achieve his American dream. He knew that his children were his legacy.