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Saturday-Friday | January 4 - 10, 2020
Remembering our dear friend and LA community leader, Dr. Herminia "Baby" Perlas-Gomez
T
he Filipino community here in Los Angeles prayed for Dr. Herminia "Baby" Perlas-Gomez during the Burial Mass held on Monday, December 30, 2019 at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Chapel of the Risen Christ.
the second time. Eventually when Baby came back to the United States, she and her husband Frank decided to open four medical clinics throughout the Los Angeles area, where Frank became the administrator of all their medical offices. Though Baby tenaciously pursued her medical career, she also pursued her passion for music and culture,
To most of us, Baby as we fondly called her, along with her then husband, Frank, and three children (Rachel, Robert and Ron) were once popularly known as the "Gomez Family Singers," during the mid-80's. As a brief background on Baby, she was born and raised in the town of Santa Rosa in the province of Laguna on September 5, 1938 to Pilar Malana and Nonito Perlas and she has one surviving sister, Nonette Perlas. She attended the medical school program at the University of Santo Tomas and married Francisco Gomez. They had five children, two of whom died prematurely, shortly after their birth. Subsequently, both Frank and Baby brought their family to the United States in the early 80's. Initially, Baby worked as a Lab Technologist at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, but decided to go back to Manila to finish her Shown behind the urn is Robert Gomez, during the burial rites medical studies, along with of his mother, Dr. Baby Gomez at the Holy Cross Cemetery. Photo by M.Aquitania passing the board exam for
Photo shows the blessing of the urn before burial at Holy Cross Cemetery, witnessed by daughter Rachel Gomez-Autry (shown 3rd from right). Photo by M.Aquitania thus establishing their singing group called the "Gomez Family Singers." As group entertainers in Los Angeles in the mid-80's, Frank, Baby and their three children shared their musical entertainment through TV specials, concerts, local and cultural community events. Through the years, even after Frank passed away, Baby stayed close to her family and numerous friends in the Los Angeles area, though she has eventually moved to Las Vegas sometime back. She treasured her three children (Rachel, Robert and Ron, as well as her five grandchildren - Leah, Dana,
Maruca, Jason and Sean, all of whom were with her in her final days. Baby felt blessed surrounded by her loved ones, when she passed away peacefully in Las Vegas on December 3, 2019, after her long battle with Cancer. To Rachel, Robert and Ron whom we have all knew during their childhood entertainment days, we're all grateful to your Mom, Baby and your Dad Frank, for sharing your music with all of us. Surely, we thank your Mom, who was a pillar of kindness in medically helping our kababayans here in the Los Angeles area, and she will never be forgotten. May she REST IN ETERNAL PEACE. God Bless!
