Bayani Abueg Jr. Obituary

Bayani Cruz Abueg, Jr. passed away at his home in Palmdale, CA on the morning of March 1st, 2025. "Bi" as he was generally known, was born in the Philippines on April 25th, 1940. He was the oldest child of Bayani R. Abueg, Jr. and Petra Cruz. He attended FEATI University in Manila, Philippines, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. In 1962, he immigrated to the United States, following his teenage sweetheart, Esperanza “Espie” Aguirre Sumagaysay, who left the year earlier. He married Esperanza in June of 1963 in Detroit.

Bayani arrived in the United States with $333. He enrolled in an electronics engineering program at the Institute of Technology in Detroit. He worked as a Mechanical, and eventually, Electrical Engineer after earning a second bachelor’s degree. His first job was with Snyder & McLean, where he worked for more than 20 years, and ascended to be a Project Engineer. His projects included many hotels, hospitals, university buildings (e.g., UM, MSU, CMU, MT, WSU), and military installations (Selfridge Air Force Base and Radar Station, Nike Missile Sites), His work at Snyder and McLean was not only instrumental in securing permanent resident and citizenship status, but also in his reclassification from draft I-A to I-Y during the Vietnam War.

In 1984, he escaped the cold winters of the Midwest with his family, and moved to the Antelope Valley. He continued work as an Electrical Engineer at Cohen & Kanwar Associates. His projects included many hotels, buildings at UCI and UCLA, Amgen’s headquarters and main laboratories in Thousand Oaks AmGen, the LA Zoo, and stations and multiple lines of the Los Angeles Metro Rail. His designs of a U.S. Postal Service complex won recognition from Southern California Edison for its energy efficiency.

He retired after more than 35 years in engineering, to become a personal driver for his wife, who retired from dietetic management, and worked as a consultant for the Los Angeles County Probation Department. They travelled together all throughout Los Angeles County, sharing their picnic lunches wherever her work took them.

More than anything else, however, Bi was husband of Espie for 55 years, and father to his four boys: Joel, Rick, Ed, and Jason. Together they traveled throughout the United States, and to a second home in Antipolo, Philippines. Wherever they called home, it was a center of activity, a gathering place to eat and enjoy rich Filipino food, and laugh in the company of others. Bi and Espie were long-time parishioners of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lancaster, CA. They were generous with their time and expertise, and supported each other, many family members and friends. Over the course of a long career and life, he taught and inspired many, and will be sorely missed.

Bi is survived by his siblings, his many nieces and nephews; his four boys; his daughters-in-law Kristine, Melanie, Seres and Joy; and his five grandchildren, Matt, Amy, Malaya, Josh, and Kai.

A visitation (including remembrance and rosary) and funeral mass will be held at Queen of Heaven Mortuary (2161 S. Fullerton Rd., Rowland Heights, CA) on Monday, March 24, 2025.

Visitation in the Queen of Heaven Room B / Reception Room St Elizabeth from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, followed by mass in the Queen of Heaven Chapel and a reception. Flowers may be sent to Queen of Heaven. For additional information or any questions, please email [email protected] or see https://www.queenofheavenmortuary.org/obituary/bayani-abueg.