About A Lost Friend, Of Memories, and Of A Memorable Encounter: Ascension Sonny Rutor

Left Side: A good friend, Sonny Ascension Rutor,
who passed away due to Stage 4 Lung Cancer
on Sept. 23, 2012

I still vividly remember this moment. 

A night filled with intermittent drizzles but enveloped with smiling faces. The faces of people some of whom we do not personally know but the common ground upon which we hold on were the thought that they all came from our town.

Months before it happened, I cannot even give my sweet and unreluctant “Yes” to Che Palma Ferrer as she humbly asked my assistance to host or be one of the hosts of the SAMAHANG SAN FERNANDO night of gathering for the church’s cause. It was because that time, I was just waiting for my new visa (for a new employer)  to arrive and I was not certain if I would still be around comes September 25, 2010. 

Luckily, due to a long delayed visa, I was able to attend the gathering – eventually accepted the hosting stint. 

Gone Too Soon

Life is so short..............


Life is full of surprises. It may bring you one great wide smile yet put you in tears in a wink of an eye.


You can be caught unprepared. It's like a sun that rises in the morning and sets before dusk.


Truth to what late Michael Jackson's lines in his famous song Gone Too Soon which says: "Like a comet blazin' across the evening sky; Gone too soon. Like a rainbow fading in a twinklin' eye; Gone too soon." This is how I can relate the sudden loss of a dear brother in SFC whose life has been so colorful during his time with us.


It's like he was just here the other day and gone the other night.


It's so devastating. We can never measure up how we are affected of his sudden demise. All that we could think of are those moments when we're still together, laughing our hearts out, collectively putting all our might serving God in a very strict land.


But now, he's gone. He will never come back. We won't see him face to face again. We will never have the chance to hear his voice.  Never will we experience again the tenderness of his attitude. The selfless brother who always offer anything for the community. A brother who would choose to walk under the blistering heat of the sun just to attend our household meeting or activities in our community.


Now, who will graciously offer us free donuts even without asking? Who will call in the middle of the night and tell endless stories of loneliness, of triumph, of hope,  of encouragement, and of faith? Who will cook our favorite "sinigang na ulo ng lapu-lapu" for the Dammam Boys --one of our favorites and his expertise?


No more Ronnie Bautista. It pains us realizing that we never got the chance to know the full extent of his sufferings. We never got the chance to step up with our help when we're needed the most.


Bro. Ronnie, you will be dearly missed. Eventhough, we can never fathom the deep of God's reason for choosing you to depart early yet we know you are safe and secure in His loving arms. We may have run short of our goodness to you when we're together but God will fill the missing part under his care.


Goodbye bro. We will cherish the good memories, the unsolicited advices that we gained from you and we'll try to emulate the unparalleled love and passion for service that you've shown to us.


May you REST IN PEACE.


God bless you......