Juan Paraiso

Juan Dysanco Paraiso, age 79, was born on March 27, 1942 in Gumaca City, Quezon, Philippines to Ernesto and Luisa Paraiso. He was the second eldest among 13 siblings that, in order, included Carmen, himself, Frank, Nida, Felix, Eusebia, Alfredo, Roberto, Carmencita, Renato, Eduardo, Angelito and Ricardo. He was preceded in death by Carmen, Eusebia and Angelito.

Juan grew up in the hustle of Manila where he applied his wits at the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) and graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. In early 1968, Juan was hired by Boeing under a select program and immigrated to the United States, eventually becoming a naturalized citizen.

Juan began his courtship to his “darling” Alicia in the Philippines. Though she was elusive at first, his persistence won her heart. They married on October 21, 1968 and remained faithfully committed to one another for over 53 years. Juan would perform his best Paul Anka impersonation and sing to his Alicia, “You are my destiny!” Together, they raised a beautiful family.

He and Alicia spent their early married life in California. In 1975 they moved to Washington and ultimately settled down in Kent, Washington in 1977. He obtained his Professional Engineer license and made the San Francisco Bay Area and the Puget Sound region better places through his engineering designs and oversight that included the Seattle Metro Tunnel and SeaTac International Airport expansion projects.

He was a proud Dad to Carolyn, Jason, Dane (Carolyn’s husband) and Carla (Jason’s wife). They loved his balance of protective patriarch and actually laughable dad humor. He was also an adored Grandpa to Kiana and Colton. With intelligence and patience, he tutored his young children and grandchildren on their math and science assignments. As a devoted father and grandfather, he was a constant presence at every pageant, piano or dance recital, tennis match, swim or gymnastics meet, and speech and debate tournament–always cheering and taking a photo or video.

Juan, often called “Johnny,” loved to joke around with his dear friends of the Friday Circle. They ate, talked, laughed, danced and sang karaoke into the wee hours of many Saturday mornings. They also took the party on the road and traveled to any and every far flung place imaginable. If you could think of it, he had the passport stamps along with the “Friday Circle” T-shirt to show for it.

In his retirement years, he deepened his relationship with the Lord. He was an active volunteer at St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church. He helped lead fundraising efforts for the Filipino-American Annual Spring Festival Fundraiser as committee treasurer. He helped everywhere he could, performing electrical facility handy work, assisting with church publications, and singing in the choir.

In his late years, he was diagnosed with diabetes and eventually began receiving kidney dialysis. He was hospitalized and unable to fight off COVID pneumonia. He passed away on March 1, 2022, a few weeks ahead of his 80th birthday.

Johnny lived a very full life. He made himself from very little and became a great engineer, businessman and volunteer. He enjoyed life, traveling the world with his darling wife, raising his successful children and grandchildren, and developing lasting friendships that won him deserving respect as a good man. The adoration he earned accrued well beyond family relatives. For Filipinos, Kuya is a term of respect and endearment for an older brother, and he was called Kuya by many.

In lieu of flowers, Kuya Johnny and his family would appreciate donations to St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church (https://ststephenslife.churchgiving.com/ws/opportunities/One-TimeDonation/donate and include “In memory of Juan Dysanco Paraiso” in the Comment field so it can be recorded) or Northwest Kidney Center (https://www.nwkidney.org/how-to-help/donate-online/), where he received dialysis from the caring doctors, nurses and staff during his final months.