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February 19, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
OBITUARIES
Deacon Melchor Magat, Remembered For His Selfless Love and Unwavering Faith
Deacon Melchor
Magat passed away
on December 15, 2018
at Washington Hos-
pital in Fremont sur-
rounded by his loving
family.
He was born in
Bataan, Philippines on January 6,
1952 (Solemnity of the Epiphany) and
was named after one of the Wise Men
who visited the infant Jesus. Deacon
Mel came from a non-religious family
whose father was agnostic. In 1985, he
had his conversion after attending a
Marriage Encounter weekend followed
by a “Catholic Life in the Spirit” semi-
nar. Since his conversion, he was led
to forming and facilitating countless
prayer groups, sponsoring Marriage
Encounter and “Catholic Life in the
Spirit” seminars, the establishment of
the Sacred Icon of the Holy Family in
the Philippines and serving in differ-
ent ministries of the church. In 1997, he
migrated from the Philippines to the
United States.
In 2000, he served as the building
committee head, RCIA director and
as a Eucharistic Minister at Saint John
the Baptist Parish in Milpitas. On May
8, 2010, he was ordained a permanent
deacon by Bishop Patrick J. McGrath
and was later assigned to serve at Saint
Victor Catholic Church in San Jose.
Deacon Mel was married to his
wife, Cecilia, for 44 years. They were
blessed with two sons, a daughter and
eleven grandchildren.
“For as long as I’ve known him, he’s
been a man of service to all. He not only
dedicated most of his time to help fam-
ily and strangers in need, he would also
risk his own life to save another. He
was a great husband and father to all
our children. Above all, he loved God
with all his heart, mind and soul,” said
his wife Cecilia.
“I am humbled, honored and grate-
ful to be named after a great man, my
patient mentor, my concrete inspira-
tion, my true friend, my loving dad,”
said his older son, Melchor Jr.
“I came to know, truly believe and
experience Jesus on a personal level
because of my dad. He was my tan-
gible Jesus here on Earth,” said his
younger son, Alvin.
Deacon Mel and Cecilia’s daughter,
Maria added this: “My father was truly
a wise man. He was my best friend,
my counselor. He was a brave leader,
an amazing father, a selfless brother,
a funny uncle, a playful grandpa, a
loving husband, a loyal friend, an
honorable deacon. He was wonderfully
made. Although he had every reason to
be resentful and bitter, he chose to see
his illness as a gift instead of a curse.
He was not defined by his sufferings
nor his illness. He was defined by love.
My dad lived his life according to his
favorite bible verses from 1 Thessa-
lonians 5:16-18, ‘Rejoice always! Pray
without ceasing! In all circumstances
give thanks, for this is the will of God.’”
Rest in Peace, Ann (Frances Ann) Stubbe, SNDdeN
With her joyful,
enthusiastic outlook,
her warmth and her
frequently expressed
gratitude for all the
blessings in her life,
it is no wonder that
people responded so
positively to Sister Ann.
Born on the eve of the Great Depres-
sion, Ann grew up in Marysville, where
she attended the second Notre Dame
school founded in California (1866). In-
spired by the Sisters there and what she
came to know about their foundress,
Sister Julie Billiart, she decided early
on that she wanted to dedicate her life
to helping others as a Sister.
The Province of
t h e Un it e d St at e s
of America recom-
mends to our frater-
nal prayers our dear
brother, LeRoy Viera,
of the Marianist Com-
munity of Cupertino,
CA, USA, who died in the service of
the Blessed Virgin Mary on January 20
in Cupertino at the age of 92, with 65
years of religious profession.
Brother LeRoy was a veteran, a
skilled carpenter and an artist who
dedicated his life as a working brother
serving in maintenance and construc-
tion positions in Marianist schools and
ministries.
LeRoy Lewis Viera was born in An-
tioch, California, on December 28, 1926.
He was the fifth child in the family of
Ruth (nee Dunn) and Joseph Viera. He
had three older brothers and an older
After attending college for a year,
Ann entered the Sisters of Notre Dame
in 1949. A natural as a primary grade
teacher, she was assigned to many
Notre Dame schools in California. She
received a master’s degree and creden-
tial in Montessori Education and loved
her years as Director of the Montessori
Pre-School in Saratoga and supervising
Montessori teachers. The description
by her long-time friend, Mary Zod-
row, could be echoed by many others:
“Sister Ann helped our children bloom
and find their wings.” Years after she
retired from the classroom, parents
continued to seek her wise advice.
Her six years supervising a Head
Start program in rural West Virginia
held a special place in Sister Ann’s
heart. She taught mothers, as well as
children, how to read and found ways
to purchase paperbacks for people,
when even library books were scarce.
Sister Ann was asked to restart two
daycare centers, one that had only
seven students when she began. Three
years later, the center was flourishing
with 60 children and six teachers. After
retiring from classroom responsibili-
ties, she enjoyed tutoring children at
Notre Dame Elementary in Belmont,
interacting with students in the library
at Notre Dame High School, Belmont,
and working with Notre Dame Ameri-
Corps volunteers.
Sister Ann lived at the Notre Dame
Rest in Peace, Brother LeRoy Viera, SM
sister. Growing up in the wake of the
Great Depression, LeRoy’s family re-
established themselves through hard
work, planning and determination.
At the time, Antioch was a grape-
growing and ranching area. Brother
LeRoy helped his family doing odd
jobs and working the vineyards. It was
during this time that God moved into
his life in a significant way and he often
spent his time working in the vineyards
talking with God. He attended Antioch
High School but left when he turned
18 to serve in the Coast Guard during
World War II. When he returned home,
he worked at Dow Chemical in Pitts-
burg, California while using his G.I. Bill
to take carpentry classes in night school.
He got a job as a carpenter at the lo-
cal paper mill where one of his friends
was killed in an accident. It was this
tragedy and the subsequent injustices
by the management to the survivors
that caused LeRoy to reflect on his life
and what he wanted to do in the future.
He began discerning the calling of
becoming a Religious Brother but had
never met a Marianist until he hap-
pened to pass by the community of
Chaminade in Santa Cruz. On a lark,
he decided to pay a visit and found
the religious community he would be
identified with for the rest of his life.
The Marianists would take Brother
LeRoy to new and unexpected places.
Upon reflection on his 50th Jubilee, he
wrote, “I joined the Navy and saw a lot
of water; then I joined the Marianists
and saw the world.”
He entered the novitiate on August
14, 1952 at the age of 26. He professed
first vows in August 15, 1953 and per-
petual vows in on August 15, 1957.
From 1976-1981, Brother LeRoy was
able to use his carpentry skills work-
ing on the province construction crew
Province Center in Belmont for twelve
years before moving to Mercy Retire-
ment & Care Center. Even a broken
hip two weeks before her 2018 Jubilee
didn’t stop her from celebrating with
family and friends.
Sister Ann and her positive spirit
will be deeply missed by her nieces
and nephews, Shannon (Ray) Phillips,
Shawn (Steve) Abbott, Susan DeMarois,
Sara (Chuck) Egan, Barrett Stubbe,
and many grand-nieces and nephews,
former students, families, friends, and
her Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
Memorial contributions may be
made to Sisters of Notre Dame de
Namur, 1520 Ralston Avenue, Belmont,
CA 94002 or online at snddenwest.org.
in Cupertino, California. He worked
with four other Marianists to construct
a retirement home for elderly Marian-
ists and a novitiate. In 1979, a creative
avocation emerged shortly after he
sustained a severe eye injury on the
construction site. During his conva-
lescence, a nurse encouraged him to
explore art therapy.
In 2015, Brother LeRoy retired to
the Cupertino Marianist Community.
He continued to occupy his time in
retirement in work and prayer. Brother
Jack Dempsey writes, “Brother LeRoy
was an outstanding ‘semi-retired’ and
extremely busy working Brother. An
exemplary prayerful religious, Brother
LeRoy was always the first one in cha-
pel for our daily prayer. An excellent
property manager, Brother LeRoy kept
a running “to do” list for minor prop-
erty projects and assisting everyone as
requested.