- Date Of Birth: May 11, 1931
- Date Of Death: November 23, 2022
- State: North Carolina
Mamerto Alaba “Cabby” Cabagnot, 91, of Salisbury passed away on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, at Novant Health Rowan Medical Center.
Born in Sevilla, Bohol, Philippines on May 11, 1931, he was the son of the late Bernabe (Abing) Belderol Cabagnot and Potenciana Alaba Cabagnot. He was baptized at the Roman Catholic Church (Parish of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Diocese of Tagbilaran) in Sevilla Bohol, on June 7, 1931. He was confirmed as a Roman Catholic by the Bishop of Cebu at the same church on July 4, 1934. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Jesusa Castro Reyes Cabagnot.
Left to cherish his memory are his only son, Rocky Mamerto Cabagnot and wife Leslie Cabagnot of Salisbury; sisters Inocencia Alaba Cabagnot Campos and Eufemia Alaba Cabagnot, both of Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines; grandson Daniel Ellis.
During his youth in the Philippines, he attended both university and seminary, but his life changed forever when his eldest brother, the late Jesus Alaba Cabagnot marched him to a large, docked ship where the United States was recruiting sailors to serve in the United States Navy. His big brother made him enlist to serve. By May of 1962, he was commissioned as Yeoman First Class. During this period, he served under Admiral John S. McCain Sr. (father of the late Arizona Senator John McCain). Unable to correctly pronounce the family name of Cabagnot, Admiral McCain ‘christened’ Yeoman First Class Cabagnot as ‘Cabby.’ From that point on, he would be known as ‘Cabby.’
Through his service to the United States Navy, he became naturalized as a United States citizen on November 17, 1964, by the Clerk of the US District Court for the District of Columbia. On January 16, 1969, he was appointed to his highest permanent rank in the US Navy – Chief Petty Officer. During his military service, he was stationed at numerous bases ranging from DC, and the Philippines to Italy. Additionally, during the 1960’s, he performed live music with his band ‘The Tropical Serenaders’ on the east coast.
During the late 1960’s, he was introduced to the love of his life, the late Jesusa Castro Reyes Cabagnot, and the two entered into the Sacrament of Marriage at Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on July 16, 1970. On July 15, 1974, his only son, Rocky (who he named after his favorite boxer of all time – Rocky Marciano) was born in Alexandria, Virginia. During this time, he graduated with his Bachelor of Arts degree with the Class of 1974 from the University of Maryland’s University College. After his son’s birth, he retired from active military service, and he enrolled in law school at the Potomac School of Law in Washington DC, where he would graduate with his Juris Doctor degree in May 1981.
In 1979, the family settled in Salisbury after his wife secured a position at the VA Medical Center as an outpatient physician. During his time in Salisbury, he was a member of Sacred Heart Church and was known as a frequent author of “Letters to the Editor” to the Salisbury Post regarding topics ranging from electoral politics to local land use decisions (with which he typically disagreed). Additionally, he took up cattle farming (which his son and daughter-in-law continue to this day), and he was an avid fan of “the sweet science” of Boxing. He particularly loved to watch any fight involving the great Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiou. Most of all, he loved his family. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He was the trusted voice of counsel to hundreds of Cabagnot family members over the years. During his later years, he truly loved reuniting with his family/kadugo at various international Cabagnot family reunions both here and abroad. He will be greatly missed, but the Cabagnot family is joyful that he has reunited with his wife and Our Father in Heaven.
Entombment: Rowan Memorial Park Mausoleum
