Virgilio Lao

Virgilio Lao, age 72 of Passaic, died suddenly on Thursday, March 21, 2019 with his family at his side.  He had been a technician with LifeCell in Branchburg, NJ before a severe injury forced him to resign in 2010.

Virgilio was born in Leyte, Philippines.  His family included ten children, of which he was the fourth one to be born.  He earned his degree in Civil Engineering from the Cebu Institute of Technology, Cebu City, Philippines.  He enjoyed his early career as a civil engineer in Southern Leyte, working on many public highway projects.  The rapid growth in the Philippines which occurred during the decades following World War II, included the construction of many public highways and bridges, joining together many of the smaller islands of Southern Leyte.  He became a supervisor and earned an excellent reputation for getting things done right.  In 1976, he took an opportunity and moved to Ontario, Canada where his sister sponsored him. In 1985, he came to the USA and settled in Passaic, NJ.  He worked for several firms, including Panel Graphic, Merck, and LifeCell.

Virgilio enjoyed time with his family, and he was a devoted father and husband.  He worked very hard, and selflessly, to provide a good life for each of them.  His sons recall how hard their father worked, insuring that his family had a good life.  He didn’t require much for himself, except maybe a good cup of coffee.  He was essentially a homebody who often had a project he was working on around the house, and he loved to fix things.  He was proud to build his own shed from the ground up.  He loved gambling and Russian Poker was one of his favorites.  He loved horse racing too, and went to the Meadowlands often to play the horses. He had traveled a bit, including to Florida and Las Vegas.  He was a very friendly man who could sit and talk to anyone.  Many of his neighbors recall him sitting on his front stoop and striking up a conversation with any passer-by.  He met his wife Evelyn in Canada and they were married in the late 1970’s.  They have enjoyed forty years of marriage and raised their two sons together here in Passaic.  Sadly, Virgilio was assaulted in 2010 in front of his home.  His injuries were very severe, resulting in a lengthy hospital stay, and he has been paralyzed ever since that day.  The past nine years have therefore involved daily struggle, but Virgilio is blessed with a large and loving family who lovingly cared for him.  They each stepped in to help with the daily needs of his wife and children, and Virgilio received the best care he could have hoped for.  They will miss him dearly, but also find relief knowing that his is no longer suffering.

Virgilio is survived by his wife Evelyn of Passaic, by his two sons; Jonathan and Christopher, also of Passaic, eight of his siblings, and many nieces and nephews.