Celebration Speech
Nelson's youngest sister, Emylene, delivered the following tribute at Nelson's service at Ward Funeral Home in Brampton, Canada on January
28th, 2008.

He was a fast food lover, who rode and drove fast, made fast and loyal friends, and was fast to put his father, mother, sisters, brother-in-law, nephew, and dearest friends first.

For those closest to him, it will be difficult to experience the newest electronics, ugly shoes, Chinese food, adult entertainment, recreational "treats", and of course, stickers, without thinking about my brother.

My brother was a very proud Canadian – the only thing that was really Filipino about him, other than the color of his skin, was his love of a hot steaming bowl of rice, mixed with a couple of raw eggs, topped off w/ patis, a stinky and salty fish-sauce. Otherwise, he was convinced he was white – his Canadian-ness was evidenced by his love of Roots clothing, his unwavering loyalty to the Toronto Maple Leafs, his Tim Horton's addiction, and by the litres of ketchup he consumed over the years – I know that my brother alone played a significant role in helping Canada to rank second in the world for ketchup consumption. And in case you're wondering, Sweden ranks first.

I remember a time when I was about 9, and my brother and I were in the mall – he told me not to walk too close to him – it was clear that his little, uncool, and ugly sister wasn't good for his image – he worked very hard on his motionless final net flat top, getting the perfect shade of black t-shirt and pants – and he needed to look good – especially at the hoppin' and happenin' Bramalea City Center… What I don't remember though is when he decided I was actually cool…and he insisted on taking me *everywhere* w/ him… whether it was playing poker or video games and blowing up toilets in Gary's garage, building Go Karts and playing w/ pooches in Keith and Nancy's garage, or playing with DJ lights and equipment in Wayne and Jeanette's basement, he delightfully dragged me everywhere – and if it sounds like we spent a lot of time in garages and basements, it's b/c we did spend a lot of time in garages and basements…

My brother frequently delegated some of his brotherly duties to his closest friends. Instead of teaching me how to drive standard himself, he made Shane teach me in his shaky Toyota Celica. Instead of coming on a family trip to the Philippines, he made Larry be his stunt double – that Larry is white made him difficult to pass as my brother, but we managed to make it work. And instead of always sticking to a healthy and heart-friendly diet as he promised me he would, he did make others eat healthy, while he secretly ate bowls and bowls of salty, fatty wonton soup -- and he made Jose his accomplice in lying to me about what he ate.

My brother didn't have any biological brothers, but he had many treasured friends, some of whom I just mentioned, who were his tried and true brothers – and there is also Roach and Montana…with whom he could share his love of bad humor, video games, and purple nurples…

As the youngest sibling, it was hard to understand some of my brother and sister's fights…were they really fighting over a pair of tweezers, clothes, bathroom time, and toiletries? Did he really steal my sister's car *again* in the middle of the night? What I have come to understand though, was that these weren't really fights...but fun memories in the making.

Many knew that my brother acted as the glue that kept many groups of diverse and dispersed people together…family, friends, and ADT coworkers…he knew everyone's business, and made sure everyone knew about everyone else's business! But *not* in a malicious, gossipy way…he genuinely cared for and respected everyone in his personal and professional life, and he was always just so proud and excited to both hear about and tell everyone everything about anything and anyone…and we all adored him for this.

My brother's love for motorcycles stemmed from our father's own racing years and his motorcycle business. These inspired my brother to follow exactly in his footsteps – going to racing school, and becoming a licensed motorcycle mechanic. Motorcycles played a monumental role in my brother's life, and I know our father is proud of this.

My brother's relationship with our mother was truly incredible – and it's impossible to express how much they cherished each other, and how much my mother will miss my brother – and although this is a huge change and hollow void in my mother's life that she wishes she absolutely did *not* have to go through, and that she wishes no mother should ever have to go through, she is so comforted by all the joy and happiness my brother brought to her life – she feels so very blessed and honored to have had such a son – a son she laughed with, a son she learned from, a son she lived for…she wishes that all mothers should have a son as generous and gracious as my brother.

My brother leaves our family with some stunt doubles who have always been and will continue to be like my mother's sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, and our friends…they are all here today, and will be w/ us always.

In keeping with the wise words of one of my brother's favorite Captains, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Federation flagship Enterprise-D, we need to ensure that we celebrate and cherish each memory we have of my brother - today and always. He leaves us with innumerable precious and priceless memories - reminding us that what we leave behind is not as important as how we lived. For all these remarkable memories, I am forever grateful and so very, very proud to have had Nelson as my dearest Kuya, my brother. And I'm looking forward to eating some wonton soup w/ all of you today to celebrate him!