Tommy C. Tugade

Tommy Camba Tugade died in his sleep on the morning of Monday, December 1st, 2025, in San Antonio, TX. He was born Artemio Tugade to Domingo Tugade and Antonia Camba on June 6th, 1937, in San Jose, Alaminos, Pangasinan in the Philippines. He would later change his name to, “Tommy” in 1969. He had one brother and five sisters.

Based on stories from one of his dearest friends since childhood, Manny Valdez, Tommy was a small, skinny youth who often carried several books to and from school, easily getting blown over by any stiff breeze. After high school he attended an agricultural school for one year before becoming one of only 1,169 Filipinos to enlist in the U.S. Navy in 1960. One of the first duty stations he was assigned to was Adak, Alaska. To reach Adak, he started his basic training in San Diego, CA and then took off from Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle, WA, where his youngest son, Richard, would reside over forty years later. Initially, like many of his Filipino cohort, he worked as a Steward. As a result of historic personnel policy changes in the U.S. Navy and based on Tommy’s professional performance, the Admiral for Commander Carrier Division Six personally recommended him to convert to one of the newly opened ratings. Thus, he chose to become a Storekeeper, which is the job he stuck with for the remainder of his twenty-year career in the Navy. He served on many ships, including the USS Grand Canyon, visiting ports all throughout the Mediterranean and Atlantic, and the USS Midway, on which his eldest son, Rodney, would have a promotional ceremony to Commander decades later.

After serving over five years in the Navy, in 1966 Tommy briefly returned to Pangasinan to court and marry his wife of over 58 years, Leonora Dizon. Together they had two boys, Rodney and Richard, and several pets, including Girlie, Isabel, Lady, Winnie, Daisy, Peekaboo, and Meow Meow. They lived throughout the US and Japan, depending on where the Navy sent them, including Crane, IN, Fall River, MA, Newport, RI, where Rodney was born, Honolulu, HI, where Rich was born, Misawa, Japan, and Key West, FL. After retiring from the Navy as a Petty Officer First Class in 1979, Tommy settled his family in Orlando, FL, where they would reside for over forty-five years.

After his career in the Navy, Tommy would later work at Creative Engineering for Showbiz Pizza, an early competitor of Chuck E. Cheese. After a stint with RCA in the Bahamas, he would begin his long employment with the University of Central Florida (UCF), starting in the bookstore and ending as a copier repair technician before retiring for good in the early 2000’s.

Throughout his life Tommy had a love of travel and exploration, resulting in a house full of souvenirs from his journeys in the Navy, including Spain, Malta, Japan, and Italy, as well as his journeys throughout the Caribbean, such as Andros Island, where he worked on contract for RCA, and the Cayman Islands, where his youngest son, Rich, would also work on contract. He also had a passion for cooking and entertaining, always providing great food for celebrations and inspiring his sons to also learn how to prepare several dishes, especially pancit, adobo, and lumpia. Always residing by the sea, Tommy was a great fisherman, whether with rod and reel, cast net, or spear gun. Later in life, he and Nora lived a more relaxed life, enjoying old Westerns, Turner Classic Movies, cooking shows, boxing and, sometimes, the Orlando Magic.

Tommy is survived by his sisters, Esmeralda Naniasca and Luzminda Miclat, his eldest son, Rodney Edward Tugade (Ed), his wife, Catherine (Carrine), their twins Remington (Eli) and Reese, and his youngest son, Richard Tugade (Rich), as well as ‘Meow Meow’, the cat he rescued together with Nora.

Services

There will be a Visitation on Thursday evening, December 18th, from 5 to 8 PM at Newcomer East Orlando, 895 S Goldenrod Rd., Orlando, FL 32822, phone (407) 277-4227.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 19th at 11 AM at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 5900 Oleander Drive, Orlando, FL 32807, phone (407) 277-3939.

Following the funeral, Tommy will be buried with full military honors at Greenwood Cemetery, 1603 Greenwood St. (Section 3, Replat 12, Lot 9, Space 10), Orlando, FL 32801, phone (407) 246-2616.

If you have any questions about any of the services above or would like to send sympathy flowers, please reach out to Newcomer Cremations, Funerals & Receptions East Orlando at (407) 277-4227.

Charities

If you would like to donate to an organization that was dear to Tommy’s heart, please make a gift to any of the charities below in memory of him:

St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church

Mary Knoll

Orlando Union Rescue Mission

The March of Dimes

Guiding Eyes for the Blind

Pet Alliance Orlando

The American Red Cross

Boys Town

Food for the Poor

Easter Seals

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