Family and community remember the life of a longtime Oceanside resident and pianist Cecelia Bañez Mondero, who carried on her father’s legacy by serving others through music.
Mondero passed away on Jan. 26. She was 82 years old.
Mondero’s father, Juan Bañez, first introduced his daughter to music at the young age of 3. She had been born in 1939 in Dagupan City, Philippines, so by this time the world was well into the Second World War.
Her father was a teacher, composer and concert pianist who is known today as the pianist who reconstructed Francisco Santiago’s Piano Concerto following the original’s destruction.
When Mondero was 5 years old, United States soldiers created a makeshift stage for her to play patriotic songs like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” on the piano in celebration of the Philippines’ liberation from Japanese occupation. From then on, music would become a central part of Mondero’s life.
Mondero’s family eventually immigrated to the United States. Just like her father, Mondero went on to earn several degrees including a bachelor’s degree from Holy Names University.
