Help Virgie Alido with her loss
Donation protected
Early morning on May 26th we suddenly lost one of the pillars in the foundation of our family. The sudden death of Ernie Alido has not been easy for the Alido family, more especially for his wife. Ernie left behind the love of his life for 45 years, Virginia Alido, two children Jeffrey and Jennifer, as well as his grandchildren Zen and Karver.
I want to tell you a love story that sounds like a small excerpt from an old romantic movie of how this family came to be. It all started in the early 70's in Manila, Philippines. Ernie fell in love and courted this beautiful, sweet and shy girl, Virgie. They fell in love, but Virgie had to leave the Philippines for the US. Ernie was heartbroken and could not live without her. He wrote her letters everyday for a month after she left and found his way to the US to be with his beloved. He came here with nothing, but an education and strong work ethic. They got married immediately upon arriving and started a life with nothing. Ernie was an architectural engineer, but coming to this country with nothing, his early career included hitch hiking to and from work until paying for transportation became feasible. Soon, Ernie and Virgie became parents to Jeffrey and Jennifer and Virgie would become a stay at home mom for a few years. He sacrificed so much for his family, he even had to leave them to work in other states to be able to provide and purchase a home of their dreams. He was able to save enough, to the point where they started their own business so that he can no longer work for a corporation, in turn to be close to home and spend more quality time with his wife and kids.
They began their business.
The 70's and 80's were a different time for Filipinos in America. Our culture wasn't taught in schools, our infrastructure wasn't what it is today. Virgie opened up a small mom and pop grocery store in the city that sold Filipino goods; it was one of the first of its kind. Soon after, she decided to open a Filipino restaurant in the Mission, which at its time was really one of just a few around. It became a staple for many in the city and Ernie decided it was a good thing to quit his career and work with Virgie, full time. They were doing well and ended up having one store and four restaurants through their lives. They had multiple homes together as well. But that was during the good times.
Within the last 6 years, they suffered and lost most of what they had worked so hard for. Ernie never showed it but it had to take a toll on him. He lost so much but never lost his family. For over 3 decades, Ernie and Virgie spent every minute together at home and at work. They were inseparable.
They kept everyone together in good times and bad. They always gave themselves to their family and the people they loved, extending out to their customers. Their family life and work life were one in the same. Their customers were also their family. They enjoyed sharing their lives with regulars and loved watching their customers’ families grow. Many of their beloved customers would refer to them as auntie and uncle or even mom and dad - which made them feel that they were family.
They put their heart and soul into their business, and even as business declined they continued to operate for love over profit. They never asked for anything from anyone and gave all that they could right up until Ernie’s sudden passing. Unfortunately, in his passing he leaves Virgie not only without him, but also without resources.
I have created this gofundme for Virgie Alido to help her in this difficult financial time. I can’t imagine the pain she feels in her heart and I would hate for her to stress even more trying to keep up financially with hospital and funeral expenses, as well as her living expenses while she restructures her business and life.
No donation is too big or small. We appreciate your consideration. Thank you in advance for those who donate or even read this story. Virgie would be forever grateful for your generosity. If you know Virgie or knew Ernie, you would know that these are good and true honest people.
I want to tell you a love story that sounds like a small excerpt from an old romantic movie of how this family came to be. It all started in the early 70's in Manila, Philippines. Ernie fell in love and courted this beautiful, sweet and shy girl, Virgie. They fell in love, but Virgie had to leave the Philippines for the US. Ernie was heartbroken and could not live without her. He wrote her letters everyday for a month after she left and found his way to the US to be with his beloved. He came here with nothing, but an education and strong work ethic. They got married immediately upon arriving and started a life with nothing. Ernie was an architectural engineer, but coming to this country with nothing, his early career included hitch hiking to and from work until paying for transportation became feasible. Soon, Ernie and Virgie became parents to Jeffrey and Jennifer and Virgie would become a stay at home mom for a few years. He sacrificed so much for his family, he even had to leave them to work in other states to be able to provide and purchase a home of their dreams. He was able to save enough, to the point where they started their own business so that he can no longer work for a corporation, in turn to be close to home and spend more quality time with his wife and kids.
They began their business.
The 70's and 80's were a different time for Filipinos in America. Our culture wasn't taught in schools, our infrastructure wasn't what it is today. Virgie opened up a small mom and pop grocery store in the city that sold Filipino goods; it was one of the first of its kind. Soon after, she decided to open a Filipino restaurant in the Mission, which at its time was really one of just a few around. It became a staple for many in the city and Ernie decided it was a good thing to quit his career and work with Virgie, full time. They were doing well and ended up having one store and four restaurants through their lives. They had multiple homes together as well. But that was during the good times.
Within the last 6 years, they suffered and lost most of what they had worked so hard for. Ernie never showed it but it had to take a toll on him. He lost so much but never lost his family. For over 3 decades, Ernie and Virgie spent every minute together at home and at work. They were inseparable.
They kept everyone together in good times and bad. They always gave themselves to their family and the people they loved, extending out to their customers. Their family life and work life were one in the same. Their customers were also their family. They enjoyed sharing their lives with regulars and loved watching their customers’ families grow. Many of their beloved customers would refer to them as auntie and uncle or even mom and dad - which made them feel that they were family.
They put their heart and soul into their business, and even as business declined they continued to operate for love over profit. They never asked for anything from anyone and gave all that they could right up until Ernie’s sudden passing. Unfortunately, in his passing he leaves Virgie not only without him, but also without resources.
I have created this gofundme for Virgie Alido to help her in this difficult financial time. I can’t imagine the pain she feels in her heart and I would hate for her to stress even more trying to keep up financially with hospital and funeral expenses, as well as her living expenses while she restructures her business and life.
No donation is too big or small. We appreciate your consideration. Thank you in advance for those who donate or even read this story. Virgie would be forever grateful for your generosity. If you know Virgie or knew Ernie, you would know that these are good and true honest people.
Organizer and beneficiary
Dawn Zamora-Alido
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
Jeffrey Alido
Beneficiary