Norberto Pineda Puno

Norberto “Bert” Pineda Puno was a bona fide Mr. Fix-it-All. He accomplished many things, but he LOVED tinkering around his house and always came up with some ingenious functional contraptions. Yes, he installed his own solar panels before they were ever the “it” thing…that was the electrical engineer in him! With his gifted hands and his love of machinery, Bert fixed cars, vacuums, clocks, lawnmowers, any appliance small or large just to name a few. He was a Jack of All Trades Master of it All. If something was broken, he would fix it — even his ill-fitted dentures! He also had a green thumb and was very proud of his garden, especially the orange trees that he grew from seeds.

Bert's life began in Concepcion, Tarlac, Philippines on August 20, 1936. He was the first son to Demetrio “Mading” Puno and to Aurora Pineda Puno. After the death of his mother Aurora in 1960, Mading remarried Consuelo Tiglao Puno. He enjoyed growing up with his older sister Sylvia Puno Winsor and being a big brother to his late brother Ricardo Puno and his younger sisters Francia “France" Puno Mananquil, Carmelita “Lita” Puno Bunyi, Sister Ethel Puno, and Maria Cristina “Maricris" Puno.

Bert was a gregarious teenager. It would continue to be one of his superpowers throughout his life. He attended many socials in the 1950s in Concepcion where he laid eyes on the beautiful Amelia “Mel” Pantig and fell head over heels in love with her. Mel was the love of his life and he was determined to keep her many other suitors at bay. Bert decided to follow her to Manila while Mel attended the University of the Philippines and he attended Mapua University. It was the beginning of a legendary 70+-year love story!

Wedding proposal, marriage and babies quickly followed. Life was a whirlwind of new business ventures as Joel Demetrio, Agnes Marie “Gigi”, Pia Marie, Rose Marie, and Norbert Jr. “Junji” came into the world. These babies were the apples of his eyes and that is why intrepid Bert decided to leave all of the familiar behind and move his family bravely across the Pacific to Kansas City, Missouri to give them a better life. Houston, Texas would eventually be the Puno clan’s final destination and homestead where the children grew, thrived, and met their significant others. Over the years, Mel & Bert embraced with open arms Shon Malone, Keith Dossett, Estelle Mack, Gitte Marzan Puno, Ming Samantha Puno, and Daniel Chin-Yee into their immediate family circle.

Bert and Mel were a force. They were quite the Houston socialites among the Filipino community, especially among the Circulo Capampangan of Greater Houston that they co-founded in 1983. They greeted new Filipino ex-pats with open arms and helped many “kabalens” upon their arrival. Bert was always willing to lend a hand and his generosity knew no bounds, sometimes to a fault. The couple loved to entertain and the family’s home served as a community gathering space year-round with novenas to the Immaculate Conception, Christmas, and birthday parties where you could always expect the whole gamut of delicious Kapampangan cuisine and other goodies. Outgoing Bert literally knew no strangers — dressed in his dapper barong, he loved emceeing social gatherings and often it was hard to pry his karaoke microphone out of his hands and stop him from telling stories and making corny jokes.

Bert was an avid musician and taught himself to play the piano, harmonica, guitar, accordion, and other instruments throughout the years. He had an ear for music, and the pleasure he felt when he serenaded the whole house was obvious. He was musically inclined and enjoyed upbeat melodies. He attended mass each Sunday like clockwork — he loved our Holy Father, Jesus Christ, and our Blessed Mother.

A devout Catholic throughout his life, faith was very important to Bert and he found a lot of strength from it —he even considered becoming a priest at some point during his teens. Sunday masses were hardly missed and brought Bert a lot spiritually. Besides God, family and friends were everything to him. His five children meant the world to him, but becoming “Lolo” to Lauren, Brooke, Jacob “Jake", Zoe, Dominique “Nikki", Angelina “Angel", Alexander “Alex", Audrey and Abigail “Abby" was one of his greatest joys. Meeting his first great-grand-daughter, Frankie, two Thanksgivings ago also left a huge mark in his tender heart.

Traveling on their own adventures across the country and many foreign places also filled Bert and Mel’s time. With the children in tow, they explored the U.S. together and as the children grew into adults, they all took memorable trips together abroad. Visiting the Philippines and China with his children, their spouses and grandchildren were some of his favorite adventures abroad. The trip to Jerusalem was his last international trip with Mel. It was his most memorable and unforgettable experience and left an indelible mark on his soul as he and his beloved Mel walked together in the footsteps of Jesus Christ on the road to Mt. Calvary.

The last year of Bert’s life was a struggle as the ugly grip of health issues took hold, but he continued to be headstrong and improved for the sake of his family. He grew strong again, gained weight and loved life surrounded by the people he cared about. No matter how he felt, he never stopped being Bert with his radiant smile and infectious love of life.

On January 10, 2024, Norberto Pineda Puno shed his earthly pain and made a graceful exit, surrounded by his loved ones. Today he flies free…back into God’s hands. A celebration of his beautiful life will be held on January 27, 2024, with family and friends.