Obituary of Theresa Carpio

On February 9th, 2016, at 2:07am, Theresa Carpio, 49, died in Memorial Hospital Miramar, surrounded by her loved ones. She fought colon cancer for a year, and in the end, passed away peacefully. She was born on March 7th, 1966, in Iloilo City, Philippines, and was raised by Sofia and Jose Solidum, her adopted parents, now deceased. She is survived by her beloved husband, Achilles Carpio, and her three children, Chrisley, Pauline, and Joshua Carpio. Present also were her loving nieces, Sherry Magcalas, Mieralyn Torres, and Hannah Carpio, as well as many beloved friends and extended family. She is also survived by her biological mother, Liberty Arceo, and her four biological brothers, Robert, Bhong, Percy, and Emmanuel Arceo. Her biological father, Rosendo Arceo, is deceased. Theresa spent her early childhood in San Dionisio, a village that she explored relentlessly, often skipping school to visit the beach. She grew up intelligent, a savvy student, although she hated reading; she had too much energy to sit still for too long. A longtime admirer of her adopted mother, Sofia Solidum, the first Filipino nurse of her community, Theresa went on to study nursing at St. Paul College of Iloilo, and then she received a scholarship to pursue her Master's Degree in Nursing in Cebu City, where she received her Master's Degree from the University of the Philippines, Cebu, in 1987. At a local church, she met her future husband and the father of her children, Achilles Carpio. Later, she returned to her alma mater to professionally teach courses of Nursing at the St. Paul College of Iloilo, per the conditions of the scholarship. Shortly after, she returned to Cebu to work at Cebu Doctors Hospital, where she began a lifelong career in Nursing. On May 2nd, 1990, she married Achilles Carpio in Cebu City. In January 1992, she had her first child, Chrisley Carpio. Later, she accepted a job from a recruiting agency for nurses in Miami, Florida, and immigrated to the United States with her family. In the United States, in October 1996 and September 2003, Theresa gave birth to Pauline Carpio and Joshua Carpio. Aside from a doting mother, she was also an extremely competent, hard-working nurse. She won Nurse of the Year twice in her life, from two hospitals in two different states: once in Florida at Memorial Hospital Miramar and once in California at the Eisenhower Medical Center. Theresa was a beautiful person in every way, with a contagious laugh and a deep pride in being a nurse, a person who saves lives. She befriended almost every person she met, joking with strangers and always making her friends laugh. People especially remember her for her endless generosity, as she helped her relatives through school, immigration, and the hardships of life. She loved to sing, watch movies, shop, and go out with friends and family, and she was a religious person who deeply respected the spirituality of her adopted parents. She lived every day as if it was her last, partying, planning trips, and working long hours to give her family the highest quality of life possible. More importantly than that, she was proud to be a servant of God. She faced death every day, saved the lives of countless strangers, gave her family the best, and turned every minute into an adventure. She did not live long, but she was the most alive person her family ever knew. On Thursday and Friday, February 11th and 12th, the Carpio family will be hosting a viewing at the Joseph A. Scarano Funeral Home, from 2pm to 11:59pm EST both days, located at 3911 SW 47th Ave, Davie, FL. On Saturday, February 13th, there will be a Catholic mass in her memory at the St. Bartholomew Catholic Church at 2pm EST, located at 8003 Miramar Pkwy, Miramar, FL, proceeded by a wake. Everyone who knew her and loved her is welcome to attend.