Filipina American Celebrates 110th Birthday, Recognized as Washington, D.C.’s Oldest Living Resident

Filipino American Evangeline “Vangie” Paredes, honored by DC Health as the oldest living resident of the nation’s capital, marked her 110th birthday surrounded by the community she spent a lifetime serving.

There was cake, there were balloons, and there was, once again, a room full of people who consider Evangeline “Vangie” Paredes family. On July 26, Paredes celebrated her 110th birthday at Chevy Chase House Boutique Assisted Living in Northwest Washington, D.C. — the latest milestone in a life that has now stretched across eleven decades, two world wars, dozens of pandemics, and twenty U.S. presidencies.

DC Health has recognized Paredes as the oldest living resident of Washington, D.C. The Philippine Embassy, members of the Filipino and Filipino American community, fellow residents of Chevy Chase House, and her family gathered to honor both the milestone and what officials described as her lifelong dedication to public service.

“Maligayang Kaarawan! Happy Birthday! Happy 110th birthday, Ms. Paredes!” the embassy wrote in a message marking the day. “We wish you continued good health, happiness, and many more joyful moments. Mabuhay!” Deputy Chief of Mission Felipe Cariño III represented the embassy at the celebration.

A Life That Began in Brooklyn

Paredes was born Evangeline Abellera in Brooklyn, New York, on July 26, 1916, the daughter of Tomas Rulloda Abellera, a Filipino immigrant who served in the U.S. Navy during World War I, and Francisca Estrada, a translator born in Asturias, Spain, who went on to work on Wall Street. When Paredes was five, her family relocated to Washington, D.C., after her father took a position as a chief master mechanic at the Navy Yard.

She attended Congress Heights School and graduated from Eastern High School before winning a scholarship to secretarial school. That training opened the door to a job as a telephone operator in the office of the Philippine Resident Commissioner — the beginning of a career in public service that would span more than half a century.

Secretary to a President-in-Exile

Paredes’s Washington career unfolded against the backdrop of some of the 20th century’s defining events. During World War II, as the Philippine government-in-exile operated out of Washington, she served as secretary to President Manuel L. Quezon. She went on to work under the leading Filipino diplomat Carlos P. Romulo and later became public relations officer for the Philippine Embassy, a post she held as the Resident Commissioner’s Office was transformed into a full embassy after the war.

It was during this period that she met Juanito “Johnny” Paredes, a nephew of Quintin Paredes, the Philippine Resident Commissioner to Washington in the late 1930s. The two worked together at the Resident Commissioner’s Office and married in the early 1940s, settling in Southeast Washington. They had one son.

When the war ended, Paredes faced a consequential choice. As an employee of the newly formed Philippine Embassy, she was eligible to retire and relocate to the Philippines — but doing so would have meant giving up her American citizenship. She chose to stay, and went to work for the U.S. federal government instead.

Thirty Years at the Pentagon

That decision led to a 30-year career as a civil servant at the Pentagon, where Paredes worked from the late 1950s until her retirement in the early 1990s. She retired with one of the highest civilian honors available to federal employees, capping a career that, combined with her embassy years, added up to more than five decades of continuous government service.

Retirement did not slow her down. For the next four decades, Paredes threw herself into volunteer work with AARP as an activist and advocate for senior citizens, and she became a lifelong member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary — a natural extension, she has said, of her father’s Navy service. She spent years visiting veterans in hospitals and assisting their families, work that continued well into her second century of life.

A Century of Being Known as “Ms. Vangie”

Paredes’s birthdays have become something of a Washington tradition. At 105, a Metropolitan Police Department motorcade — sirens on — rolled past her retirement home to mark the occasion, and she told a volunteer she was ready to get back to work. At 107, she celebrated with a tiara and D.C. police officers by her side, crediting her longevity to annual physicals and simply not arguing with people. At 109, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser honored her with a certificate of recognition, thanking her for “always ensuring a seat at the table for those who often go unheard.”

Through it all, Chevy Chase House has remained her home and her community, the site of tea parties, Zoom calls with far-flung relatives during the pandemic, and now, her 110th birthday celebration.

Her Advice for a Long Life

Asked over the years what accounts for such a long life, Paredes has never pointed to any special diet or regimen. Her answer has stayed remarkably consistent: stay useful, stay connected, and keep showing up for other people.

“The days just pass. Do what you can. Observe if you can help people. See what needs to be done, and do it,” she said around her 110th birthday.

In past years she has offered similar counsel in different words — “Volunteer, when you can. Use your instincts. Do your best and always find ways to help others” — along with lighter tips, like eating plenty of nuts and chewing food thoroughly.

To her family, friends, and the wider Filipino American community in Washington, Paredes is more than a record-holder. She is, as those close to her describe it, a symbol of longevity, but even more so a cherished friend and neighbor who has never stopped caring about the people around her — one birthday, and one small act of service, at a time.