Ester Dulay Ocampo

Ester Dulay Ocampo, age 81 of Wayne, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Born in Urbiztondo, Pangasinan, Philippines as the second of five children to Gonzalo and Generosa DeVera Dulay, Ester’s early life was full of wonderful and funny memories with her siblings at her family’s store. Growing up in a large family in the same province, Ester was also close to her many cousins. She worked hard and was admitted to Far Eastern University, one of the Philippines’ premier institutions, to study nursing.

After graduation, Ester lived in a boarding house with other nurses. Ester had to walk back and forth from the hospital at night, and a nurse at the house named Emy suggested her cousin serve as “bodyguard” and keep her company. That was when she was introduced to Carlos Cunanan Ocampo and the couple fell in love. Ester was part of the major recruitment of Filipino nurses to the U.S., so she and Carlos decided to get married and set their sights on the American dream.

Timing was on their side as the two left the Philippines for their honeymoon right before the country fell into a terrible period of Martial Law. Ester and Carlos’s journey did not come without challenge as their flight to Japan experienced a landing gear malfunction which led to an emergency belly landing on the runway in Tokyo. The newlyweds slid down the chute of their small plane to safety and ran away from being in any news reports to avoid creating panic for their family back home. Continuing their travels, the couple finished their honeymoon in Hawaii, and with only a few hundred dollars left in their pockets, Ester and Carlos made their way to New Jersey to build a new better life for themselves and their future family.

Ester passed the U.S. Registered Nurse Boards and immediately earned a position at Passaic General Hospital continuing a nursing career that spanned nearly five decades and included positions in multiple hospitals. She worked at Passaic General (now St. Mary’s General Hospital), Daughters of Miriam, Chilton Medical Center ICU, and Bergen Pines Medical Center (now Bergen New Bridge Medical Center) throughout her long career until she retired in 2020 during the pandemic.

Driven by faith and family, Ester was committed to creating a “colorful life” for her family filled with as many exciting and memorable experiences. Ester took a brief hiatus as an ICU nurse to support the acting endeavors for three of her children as they embarked on unique opportunities ranging from Broadway shows, to commercials, soap operas and films. She traveled with them and helped on set earning her the “stage mom” title that she held with pride.

Throughout her life, Ester’s faith remained constant. As a devoted parishioner of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church from 1989 until her passing, she attributed much of her success to God’s grace. Her gratitude manifested in generosity, regularly sending Balikbayan boxes filled with goods to her family and those in need back in the Philippines.

She was known as “Mama Ester” to her beloved “mga apo” (grandchildren). Moments like birthday parties, going pumpkin picking and “just because” visits were made into big memorable moments. Mama Ester attended every dance recital, theater performance, swim meet, sporting event her grandkids took part in. Her minivan was iconic in family adventures, both big and small, symbolizing her belief there was always enough room for everyone to be included. This held true for her grandchildren, shuttling them all around together to all their favorite places, with lots of trips to Chuck E. Cheese. Ester was well known for inviting anyone she met to come to her home to visit, especially for Noche Buena (Filipino Christmas Eve) which was always an open door, an open table and a present for everyone who joined.

Ester took immense pride in her children’s college education, having worked tirelessly to provide them with the opportunity. She always believed in living big and it meant the world to her to see that drive and ambition continue in all her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and their children. Her legacy of faith, love, and ambition lives on through the generations she helped nurture.

Ester is survived by her husband Carlos Cunanan Ocampo; her four children: Cheryll Ocampo Forsatz and her husband John Forsatz, Christiane  Ocampo and her husband Ronald Pottie, Carlos (Chuck) Ocampo, Jr, and Chester Ocampo and his wife Danielle Krumholz; her six grandchildren: Jordan Rose Bernstein, John T. Forsatz, Cadence Cecile Bernstein, Elizabeth Bernadina Forsatz, Avery Alexandra Ocampo, and Baby Ocampo; three of her four siblings: Ramon Dulay, Juan “Sonny” Dulay, and Teresita De La Vega; and fourteen nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents, Gonzalo and Generosa DeVera Dulay, and her sister Hilda Bautista.