Artist note: I started this comic while my father's eldest brother, Tito Valerio, was transitioning from independent living to hospice care. I completed each page during different stages of his death.  As you can see, there are some different inking expressions as his life ended. Yesterday was his memorial at Mission Dolores in San Francisco. Valerio Escobar was an architect, and one of the first Filipino architects in the country. He was very successful. As the eldest son in a Filipino family, he was tasked with taking care of everyone younger than himself, alongside the eldest sister, Tita Grace. 

Tito Val was stern and loved beer. He showed me how to draw a straight line when I was 10. He chose not to have a family of his own. He chose his books and his paper. In death, his hard work and legacy will shower us with care and protection for years to come. He lived for nearly 90 years. 

Though Tito Val did not like a lot of people, for some reason he showed me and my son a lot of love. I genuinely think it's because I am a cartoonist > . < and no one else in the family liked to draw.