A DAY after Cebuano tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. was buried, his wife of 61 years passed away too.
Elizabeth Y. Gokongwei, 85, died peacefully on Saturday, November 16, "one week after the death of our father, John Gokongwei Jr., her husband of 61 years," the Gokongwei siblings Robina, Lance, Lisa, Faith, Hope and Marcia said in a statement.
Details about the wake will be shared with family and friends, said the siblings.
Elizabeth was born on February 9, 1934.
The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) stated in its website that Elizabeth had shared her husband’s belief that "education is critical in making life better for Filipinos."
"Her passion is to provide educational opportunities to underprivileged youth, and her seat on the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation Board of Trustees allows her to do just that," the GBF said.
In 2014, she published a coffee table book that documented the culinary heritage of Chinese Filipinos. It was titled "My Angkong’s Noodles" and the profits from sales of the book went to GBF's scholarships, the website stated.
Her husband, John, was the one who founded the conglomerate J.G. Summit Holdings Inc. He, however, had retired in 2016 and passed the leadership to his son, Lance.
John, who died on November 9, was the third richest man in the Philippines. Forbes Magazine reported that he had a real-time net worth of $5.8 billion as of November 9, 2019.
He was born in China but raised in Cebu. (LMY/SunStar Philippines)