In Memory of John Fhederick Suede

On May 8 our beloved John passed away. He had arrived from work that evening, laid down with a full belly, and began to play video games online. His mom went to lay down next to him, and he said that for Mother's Day he would clean the house and show her how special she was to him. He had an incredible relationship with his mother, she was his best friend. Just before his mom went to bed, his mom walked by John's room and heard that he was snoring (as usual) and she was able to go to bed herself. 

However, later that night, John's mom was awakened by a strange noise that was coming from John's room. He was no longer able to breathe,  his heart stopped, and suddenly John had passed. Her son, who she had just hugged, was no longer with her. Doctors and family believe that he passed away from a sudden heart attack combined with a sleep apnea condition, both are conditions that his father had as well. 

I first heard of the news on Saturday, May 9th through an email from his soccer coach, Mr.Hernandez (who he adored, and idolized). Then, I checked my FB messenger and I saw 11 messages  from students, and then my phone rang.  I went from running errands 1 minute to hearing Emelda's voice shatter in pain the next. 

If you knew John, you knew that he was passionate, adventurous, dedicated, compassionate, incredibly happy, loved learning, was excited about asking questions, answering questions, loved exploring, the outdoors, was incredibly motivated, loved fishing and just standing in silence and thinking about the world.

John came to Oakland High 2 years ago. As a recent immigrant from the Philippines, he was hungry to learn as much as possible as fast as he could since he wanted to work as an EMT and nurse. He wanted to help people feel safe, healthy, and help people feel better. He had so much intelligence and passion, that one would think he would feel entitled but he was the exact opposite of entitled. He was grateful, humble, he loved very hard. As he continued to lifted himself and learn, he also lifted those around him. He was a true brother to all his classmates and teammates. 

He loved learning about his community, asked questions about injustices, talked about how immigrants were bullied for their accents, talked about giving back to the school and newcomers, and ALWAYS loved to talk about his home country. He was grateful to his family, especially his mother, to have brought him to this country where he was given so many opportunities. He loved talking to teachers, visiting them in their classrooms and offices to update them on his life.   He loved talking about the future, his goals and dreams, and all the things he wanted to do for his family.

Family and faith were a huge part of who he was. He was the youngest son, but he was the biggest provider. Immediately after he arrived in the US he got a job, and he used those savings to help his family. He was a giver, especially to his mother. He always said how much he loved her, and how she was his hero. Everything that he did, everything that he accomplished, he did it for his mom. 

As the 2019 school year finished, he decided to approach Ms.Howard about the "Graduation at Large"  speech. He  wrote his speech, and we practiced his pronunciation and pauses almost every single day for 2 weeks before he went in front of Ms.Howard to audition for the spotlight. When Ms.Howard called his name to come into her room, he was grinning, cheesing, smiling so hard because he wanted so badly to give the school his message. He was a student that started in the newcomer academy and successfully transitioned into the Environmental Science Academy.  He wanted his hard work to be recognized, and he wanted to show other immigrants/newcomer students that they could accomplish anything.  Although John is no longer here with us, he will continue to inspire and move those who knew and loved him.  

We love you John.  

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Thank you so much for clicking on the link that brought you to this GoFund Me. My name is Valeska Muñoz, and I am one of John's former teachers at Oakland High who is now supporting John's mother, Emelda, during this process. I have created this page with her permission, and her personal bank account is linked to this GoFund Me so 100% of donations are going directly to her. The donations will help her plan the funeral, and help John's body return to Iloilo City in the Philippines .

We thank you in advance for any financial contribution you can give to John's family.