Rolando Armas Guanlao's Obituary
Rolando Armas Guanlao, M.D., of Smyrna, GA, passed away November 30, 2023, surrounded by loved ones and following a lengthy illness. Roly was 82.
Roly was born January 28, 1941, in Binmaley, Pangasinan, Philippines, to Germana Armas Guanlao and Federico Guanlao, the eldest of their two children. He attended secondary school in Guagua, Pampanga, and earned his medical degree from Far Eastern University in Manila in 1964. Roly completed his surgical residency at Rizal Provincial Hospital in Manila. While working as a resident, he met his future wife and fellow resident, Ellen Lumba-Guanlao, M.D. They emigrated to the United States in 1967, where Roly furthered his medical education at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ, and Fordham Misericordia Hospital, in Bronx, NY.
Roly and Ellen married in 1969 and lived in New York until October 1979, raising four Bronx-born girls. Roly practiced medicine at Morrisania Hospital in Bronx, NY, and emergency medicine at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, NY. Roly and Ellen then traded the hustle of New York for the southwestern corner of Virginia, where the mountains reminded Roly of “back home.” Roly and Ellen’s last child, a son, was born in Richlands, VA, and the family of seven built a life in that community, among many other expatriate families. Roly practiced emergency medicine at Clinch Valley Medical Center in Richlands until his retirement at the end of 2007. He also was a long-time member of Holy Family Parish - St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Richlands. In 2009, Roly and Ellen relocated to Smyrna, GA, and they became members of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. He enjoyed spending time with family, gardening, reading, cooking, making corny jokes, sleeping, solving the crossword, whistling to the birds or to his own internal soundtrack, and laughing heartily. He loved eating and was always planning the next meal and making sure others were fed. “Kumain ka na?”
Roly was preceded in death by his parents Germana and Federico, and his sister, Elizabeth Guanlao Dimarucut.
Roly leaves behind his beloved wife of 54 years, his “Nee,” Ellen, and their children: daughter Maria White of Richlands, VA (husband Derek); daughter Aimee Guanlao of Smyrna, GA; daughter Renee Reese of Smyrna, GA (husband Will); daughter Leah Ly of Duluth, GA (husband Cuong); and son Dante Guanlao of Vienna, VA (wife Elizabeth). Roly doted on his seven grandchildren: Derek White, Jr. (wife Elizabeth), Faith White, Olivia White and Josiah White; Dylan Reese and Parker Reese; Westley Guanlao; and one great-granddaughter, Eden White. He also had many loving in-laws, nieces, nephews, and cousins in the U.S. and the Philippines who will miss him.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Smyrna, GA, on December 29, 2023, at 9:30am. Interment will follow at Honey Creek Woodlands Cemetery at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to your local food bank, Mercy Care of Atlanta, GA (https://mercyatlanta.org/foundation/), or a charity of your choice. Beloved husband, father, Lolo, grandpa, great-grandpa, Dr. Bubbles to some, friend to many, the family also requests that the next time you have a great meal or share a terrible dad joke, that you think of Roly and smile.
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