- Date Of Birth: July 13, 1938
- Date Of Death: February 19, 2019
- City: Port St. Lucie
- State: Florida
Maria Luisa (“Malu”) Saguin Benemerito, M.D., 80, of Port St. Lucie, FL passed away on February 19th, 2019. She was born July 13, 1938 in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines to the late Florentino Saguin and Consuelo Galleposo Saguin, and was the baby of a loving family with 9 children. She graduated from FEU with a Doctor of Medicine degree, and in 1966, married a fellow physician, Eusebio “Benny” Benemerito, who would become her life partner for over 50 years.
The couple moved to the mountains of the Philippines for a few years to administer medical services to the indigent and underserved, before emigrating to the U.S. in 1968. After working in New York and Boston, Maria and Benny moved to Port St. Lucie in 1982, where Maria served the community as a child psychiatrist. In later years, both doctors would continue to dedicate their lives to serving the underprivileged by leading several medical missions in the Philippines.
Maria enjoyed traveling in her spare time and loved to experience the culture and food in countries across the world. She also loved music and the theater, and never missed an opportunity to see a show – whether on Broadway or at the local school. She loved her extended family and opened her doors to countless nephews and nieces as they moved to the U.S. She truly had a heart of generosity, and she gave endlessly of her time and resources to both her family and the community.
Maria is survived by her two children, Sandra Bailey (Richard) and Charles Benemerito (Grace); grandchildren, Ben, Emma, Elise, and Audrey; and sisters, Clarissa “Nena” Frias, Florinda “Baby” Borromeo, Corazon “Nenita” Mejia, and Violeta “Viol” Ruiz de Luzuriaga. She was preceded in death by her loving husband of over 50 years, Eusebio “Benny” Benemerito; brothers Oscar “Oskie”, Augusto “Tuting”, and Rene; and sister, Delia Saguin Javier.
