Familia Estrella mourns the Passing of BUENAVENTURA (“BEN”) G. ESTRELLA

Buenaventura “Ben” Estrella, 92, of Toronto, Canada passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on January 20, 2022. Born on July 14, 1929, in Sampaloc, Philippines, he was the son of the late, Leopoldo Estrella and Aurelia (Garcia).

Ben was married to Rosalinda (Rosie Dizon) for 47 years until her passing in 1999. Together they raised 7 children. He will be deeply missed by sons: Edgardo & wife, Vicky of Mississauga, Ontario; Antonio & wife, Marichu of Mississauga, Ontario; Roven & wife, Christine of Maple, Ontario; and daughters: Blesilda Aquino & husband, Leo, of Whitehall, Pennsylvania; Lourdes Estrella of Brooklyn, New York; Cecilia Papa & husband, Virgilio, of Bronx, New York; Maria Luz Canon & husband, Brian Mountenay of Toronto, Ontario; and Ana Irene Estrella of Toronto, Ontario. Ben adored his grandchildren: Dustin, Jaycee, Alana, Pia, Bryan, Darryl, Andrew, Regine, Cassie, Patricia, Meghan, Sydney, and Asley; and his great grandchildren: Jace, Keion, Kyson, Kingston, Elle, Sasha, Kai and Leilani.

Prior to migrating to Canada, Ben was employed and retired from Marsman & Co, Philippines after 32 years of service as Logistics Supervisor. Ben and Rosie were deeply devoted to Santo Niño de Cebú (a Roman Catholic title of the Child Jesus). In 1983, a year after arriving in Toronto, Ben and Rosie started Richmond-Stanley Prayer Group in honor of Santo Niño de Cebú. For more than 33 years Ben and his family have been organizing an annual (Feast) Pistahan in honor of Santo Niño de Cebú attended by hundreds of devotees. The last in-person Pistahan was held at St. Patrick’s Church- Toronto on January 25, 2020. This yearly Pistahan is Ben and Rosie’s legacy which his children are hoping to continue after the pandemic. Ben is an avid reader and has a passion for sports cars.

The family will receive guests at the Turner & Porter ‘Peel’ Chapel, 2180 Hurontario St., Mississauga (Hwy. 10) on Monday, January 24, 2022. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, registration is mandatory. To register, please click on the box near the bottom of this page “TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE”.

A private Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Sts. Peter and Paul, Mississauga. The Holy Mass will be broadcast online on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 beginning at 9:00 am. To join the livestream, go to www.peterandpaul.church and click “Click Here to Watch Mass” (FB or YouTube). Interment will immediately follow at Assumption Catholic Cemetery, Mississauga.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be mailed to St. Patrick’s Parish - Out of the Cold Program, 151 McCaul St. Toronto, ON M5T 1W3 Canada (memo: In memory of Ben Estrella). To make an online donation to St. Patrick’s – Out of the Cold Program, click on this link:

To make an online donation to St. Patrick’s – Out of the Cold Program, click on this link:

https://www.archtoronto.org/en/contact-us/donations/donate-pages/donate-to-archdiocesan-in-memory-and-living-gift/

Select St. Patrick’s Parish, Toronto; In memory of Ben Estrella; and under Special Message or Notes and Direction, write: Out of the Cold Program. We deeply appreciate your kindness.