Carmen Caro Batayola

Carmen "Mameng" Caro Batayola, was born on May 11, 1935 in Guimaras, Iloilo, Philippines to parents Epifanio and Paz Caro. She is the 4th child amongst 6 siblings. Her formative years were spent in Guimaras. She enrolled in Pre-Med at St. Augustin College and upon completion was accepted into the Doctor of Medicine program at Far Eastern University, Manila. There she met her future husband, Jupiter, who was also a student, but ahead by one year. She completed her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1963.

Jupiter and Carmen were married on April 23, 1962 in Manila. They settled in Bantayan, Cebu after completing their degrees and started their medical practice. Both worked hard to provide care for their patients in the surrounding community. A daughter, Marites was born in 1964, followed by Marissa, in 1966. Next came Manolito in 1967, Michael in 1970, Maricar (who died in infancy) in 1971 and finally Mervin in 1973. Jupiter and Carmen raised their family in Bantayan, alongside 5 other nieces and nephews who were orphaned at a young age. She was still able to feed, clothe, and educate her children, nieces and nephews despite limited financial resources. Later on, she supplemented family income by opening and operating a store.

In her spare time, Carmen loved to sew and cook. She also loved to read the newspaper and would almost daily browse each section. Often, she would be writing or composing letters.

Carmen and Jupiter retired in 2010 after almost 50 years in practice. They immigrated to the United States and settled in Whittier. She passed away peacefully on December 8, 2020 at the age of 85 at Norwalk Community Hospital.

Carmen Batayola is survived by:
Jupiter Batayola - husband
Marites Batayola and Brent
Dr. Marissa Batayola-Manabat & Dr. Gregorio Manabat
Manolito & Roselyn (nee Billones) - Justin Peter, Janae
Michael Batayola and Matthew, Ella
Mervin Batayola & Argie (nee Cueva) - Vince Mervin, Pete
Lorenzo Caro - younger sibling