Celebrating Manny: Memorial And a Father's Legacy

We are overwhelmed and comforted by your prayers, heartfelt sentiments, words of encouragement, and offerings of support. As many of you know, on June 18th, we lost our beloved “Manny” unexpectedly. His sudden passing has been difficult to process and understand, but through our memories of him, we celebrate him...a son, husband, father, brother, friend, and of course, a “Stormtrooper”.

Known as "Wel" to his family, Manny was born in the Philippines and grew up in Los Angeles in historic Filipino town with his parents and four siblings. The Paja Family are all proud professionals in their fields. Manny was no different. With his love for science and electronic & mechanical gadgets, he pursued a degree in Electrical Engineering at Cal State L.A. while working full time. This is where he and I met and I got to know him...his love for food, music, and movies. We have two beautiful daughters and proudly raised them to be two of the kindest, most considerate, and smartest people in our lives. They are now pursuing degrees in the Sciences following Manny's lead.

His dedication and hard work have led to a fulfilling career and doing what he loved as an Electrical Engineer. Manny's co-workers have attested to his work ethics and dedication. As much as he worked hard, he took time to play also. He never lost his love for movies, but he found droning and being a digital creator. His love for Science included science fiction with the revival of the Star Wars series. Through one of his best friends at work, he became part of the 501st Legion Southern California Garrison as TK 52227 - a Storm/Shore/Sandy/Death/Scout trooper. Trooping at different events and charities had become his passion. His favorite troops included ones for kids like trooping at the Children’s Hospital in his Stormtrooper uniform to offer joy and comfort to those who needed it.

This is just a small bit about the life Manny lived. We miss him dearly.

Thank you for your many requests and offers to help. This GoFundMe page has been setup to help us facilitate that.

Paja Family