Nicki Calimbas

 Her maiden name is Leonarda del Rosario and after marriage it became Nicki Calimbas. Her co-workers said Nicki is easier to remember and say than Leonarda. So Nicki it is. Nicki had two sons Omar and Raymond, two grandchildren Gabe and Zoe. 

Graduation with BS Nursing
from UST

We were classmates in Grade 5 in Calderon Elem. School. When I first saw here during flag raising ceremony I thought she was very cute. Something struck me I don't know what. Later I figured it was Cupid who shot an arrow to me heart. Wow. We were classmates from Grade 5 elementary until the end of high school at MLQ. She studient nursing at UST and I went to Mapua for engineering.

Leonarda very young and a 
beauty queen in town

Upon graduation Nicki left the Philippines to be an immigrant in Canada. Soon after I left the Philippines too and became an immigrate in the USA. I was in Chicago and she was in Kitchener, Ontario about 8 hours by car. I went to see her with Joe and Cora, her sister and ask her to come with me to Chicago. She finally said Yes. We were married in Chicago by Fr. Nicanor Bautista. Father becamse a monsignor close to Cardinal Santos. We moved to an apartment at North Point and Omar was born while there. I went to graduate school at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Nicki, Omar still a baby and I drove in my '69 red Camaro to Athens. We were able to rent an apartment at the student housing. After finishing graduate school and after declining an offer for a doctorate program in chemical engineering we returned to Chicago. Another apartment in Winthrop St., north of Chicago where I started working at Miller Builders. 

Second year high school in MLQ. Standing Miss Poblete, Lita Soliman, Annie Solis,
?, Miss Perez, Leny Cando, Cora de Jesus, ?, Leonarda del Rosario

Nicki is my ace in the hole. Nicki is a nurse graduated with a BS in Nursing at UST University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines. Eventually she would get a master degree in nursing at UT University of Texas in Houston. In Ohio while I was attending graduate school and not working, Nicki was working at the State Mental Hospital. That allowed us to have money for expenses. I did received a small stipend of $300 month as a lab assistant and I got free tuition. And then when we moved to Chicago Nicki started working at Ravenswood Hospital while I look for a job. My background in computer programming allowed me to work for Millers Builders. After this I started working for IGT Institute of Gas Technology which is a research non-profit company. I am programming but in the area of engineering applications related to chemical engineering. 

We bought a house and moved to Bolingbrook about 20 miles from downtown Chicago. Bolingbrook was a developing community but today it is a sprawling well developed city. Nicki was working as a nurse at Loyola Hospital. Omar is growing up attending elementary school at Salk which is walking distance from our house. We always meet Joe and Ate Cora who lives in Schaumburg about half an hour north of us in the weekend. When Joe accepted a job with the US navy as a doctor they have to move. His first assignment was in Clark Base in the Philippines. 

Nicki whooping it up in Dublin,
Ireland, two glasses at the same time

I was getting impatient and decided to move away from Chicago to seek opportunity elsewhere. I found it in Houston, Texas with SAE System Application Engineering. This is closer to what I want to do, programming engineering and scientific computer applications. I would stay with them for 12 years. We bought a house and moved to 2843 Field Line Dr. Soon after Raymond was born.  Omar and Raymond were eight years apart by design. This time Nicki was working in the cardiovascular department of the hospital assisting in open heart surgery. Dr. Gonzalo Vargas was her main doctor. She went full time assisting him in surgery. 

Nicki is easy to befriend people. We have plenty of friends in Houston. There is a small group that are close to us and these are couples Cesar and Pearlie, Butch and Susan, Jerry and Debbie, Boy and Vicky Paguio. We alternate having parties from house to house of these couples. Oh we have other friends too through these years. Unfortunately Pearlie and Susan passed and my best friend

Nicki took a trip to Istrael for a 
Holy Tour

Jerry died too not too long ago. I left SAE and work for Setpoint Inc. Setpoint is now more into engineering specifically advanced process control. I stuck in in computer programming instead of purely engineering because that is what I want to do. I stayed there for 12 years until Setpoint was bought by Aspentech. Meanwhile we moved to our final house in Texas at 1758 Carriage Way, Sugarland, Tx. After 12 years I quit Aspentech. Nicki final nursing job was close by our house at Sugarland Day Center. She is now doing light surgical assistance for eye surgery. I did a short job with Fluor Engineering as a Senior Principal Engineer and then went consulting with ABB Houston. I am proud of that project at ABB where we developed the electrical power grid distribution of New York City with dozens of engineers. All this time Nicki is working full time. Our medical insurance is from Nicki's work. 

Omar went to college in UT and the went to law school at

Trip to Peru

Washington Law College in DC. Raymond is behind him at UT but finished a degree in music in California. The boys eventually moved to California because they like it there. They struggled at the start but eventually found good jobs. Nicki and I decided to move closer to them so we moved to Reno, Nevada. After some 35 years off we go to the west. We bought a house south of Reno. Reno is small but small ina good way. Everything is within 12 miles or 12 minutes. Hospital, professional buildings, mall, grocery, movie houses, casinos, restaurants, airport are all within 12 minutes driving distance. I live Reno.

Hiking in Reno

When we visit Omar and Ray we have to drive 2 1/2 hours thru the Sierra mountain to get there. Once we got hit by snow storm while driving. I have to buy snow chain on the road. It was difficult. So we decided to move even closer to the boys. We did moved to California in 2018 to Rio Vista. 

Nicki celebrated her 80th birthday on Nov. 6, 2024. I wanted this to be memorable after all you only get to 80 once. 

This is the invitation sent out to all relatives and friends. The place is in Vallejo recommended by Ate Cora. The food is Italian. It was pretty good. We have red and white wines for each table. Betty Gaudette, Nicki's best friend in nursing school, came from Canada. Our friend Evie and Harvey from Reno came also.

This is second page of the invitation showing in various stages. The first photo was her graduation picture in nursing in UST. Second is her wedding photo throwing flowers. The middle photo is her family with Zoe, Pol, Omar, Ray, and Gabe. The last row left photo is with our beloved dogs Waldo and Brunson. And the last one is her photo as of today.

Nicki in one of the trips overseas