Obituary of Mr. Ambrosio Austria

Ambrosio Rosales Austria, loving father and husband, passed away on November 5th after suffering a massive heart attack. Tatay, as he was called and known to many, was 93 and was surrounded by his loving wife Rosana and  his children and their spouses when he passed. Tatay was born to Lorenzo and Aquilina Austria on December 7, 1929 in San Juan, Batangas, Philippines. He was the only child born and raised in a loving family and he was a faithful church-goer from a very young age.  

Although he completed his training to become a math teacher, Tatay realized while still in school that he did not want to teach. After graduation, Tatay went on to work as a supervisor for BLTB, a large bus company in the Philippines. Thanks to his math skills, he could quickly and accurately determine if anyone on the bus had not paid their fair, making himself very valuable to the company.  

In 1958, he was married to Zenaida Marquez. They had five daughters. Zenaida died at the age of 46 after a long battle with cancer. He came to Canada with  his daughters in 1987.  He later remarried to Rosana Rosimo. He is described by his wife as very sweet and loving, responsible,  determined and one who loves his family dearly. His children describe him as godly, funny, witty, and a loving father. HIs grandchildren remember him as  loving , soft-mannered, gentle, charming and funny. 

He accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior in 1987, just before coming to Canada. He was passionate about sharing the love of our Lord with others and was an integral part of Morningstar Christian Fellowship, formerly known as Churchill Heights Baptist Church. A loyal servant to God, Tatay spent many hours memorizing the Scriptures. He could quote many verses, even entire chapters at a time. Even towards the end of his life, while suffering from dementia, he could quote the whole chapter of Mark 13. His favorite saying was, "With men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Everything is possible, but not everything is beneficial." 

Now that Tatay has passed into the arms of our Lord, we should remind ourselves that while this is the end of Tatay’s physical life on Earth, it’s the beginning of an eternal and beautiful journey for him. He was preceded by his parents, his first wife Zenaida, his son-in-law Leon, and  grandson Jerome. He is survived by many loving family members, including his second wife Rosana, his children: Alicia Chan (and Joey) Ducusin,  Belen (and Jerry) Banawa, Maria Luz (and Avnel) Alcantara,  Imelda (and Bartek) Muszynski, and Mildred (and Nilo) Laraya.  

2 Samuel 12:23 tells us that when King David realized that his son died, he said, "But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go  to him, but he shall not return to me." We  miss him terribly and we know that the days ahead will be difficult, yet we are comforted knowing that he is Heaven with Jesus and we will see him again one day.