Nieves “Binggay” Elisa Joven Faustino, of Van Buren, Arkansas died Friday, October 27, 2017. She was a Food Technologist, who worked in various aspects of the food development industry from recipe testing to pet food. She was a member of the St. Michael’s Catholic Church and a resident of Arkansas for the past 9 years. She also lived in Wisconsin and California.
Nieves was born in San Fernando, Pampanga in the Philippines on November 15, 1947. She graduated High School from St. Theresa’s College and received a BS Degree in Food Technology from The University of the Philippines in 1969. She worked at Philippine Refining Company (PRC), where she met her future husband in 1971. After enduring 2 years of being separated by the Pacific Ocean, she married Emmanuel “Noli” Faustino on May 29, 1976, just three days after arriving in the United States. While living in Southern California, they had two children: Nina in 1979 and Neil in 1983. The family moved to Stockton, California in 1994, where her love of orchids began. In 2001, she and Noli moved to Cleveland, Wisconsin. Finally, in 2008 they moved to Van Buren, where she lived the rest of her life. She worked for various companies over her career: Kal Kan, Johnsonville, and Taste of Home. She also owned a marketing research company, where she helped pet food companies test out new pet food flavors. Her hobbies included bowling, knitting, cultivating orchids and she had extensive collections of Owl figurines, Stamps, and Peanuts Memorabilia. She died a devoted wife, mother, and sister at the age of 69.
Vigil will be Thursday, November 2, 2017 from 6-8 P.M. at Ocker Memorial Chapel in Van Buren with Mass at 11:00 A.M. Friday, November 3, 2017 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Van Buren under the direction of Ocker Funeral Home of Van Buren, Arkansas.
She is survived by her children; one daughter, Nina Faustino of Los Angeles, CA; one son, Neil Faustino of Chicago, IL; one sister, Nilda Timbs of Van Buren, AR; one brother, Pedro Joven of Buffalo, NY.