“When I was small, I had two ambitions,” confides Lily Cabansag, whose family and friends feted her with love, ribbons, balloons and good food when she crossed her 100-year mile marker in the fall of 2023. “I wanted to be a nurse or a teacher, and I wanted to marry a doctor or a preacher.” Our God, who loves showering His children with “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” Ephesians 3:20, NKJV, granted her all of the above and more! She even donned a cowgirl hat for her first-ever hayride at the annual StarFest held October 31, 2023, in Keene, Texas, with former mayor Gary Heinrich driving the truck!
Lily (Alvarez) Torre Cabansag was born November 23, 1923—three months after her parents were baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist church family—in Kalibo, Capiz, Philippines, on Panay Island. Her timing was perfect. In late November, the climate in this 7,100-island archipelago transitions from monsoon rains to sunny savannah, an auspicious beginning for Lily’s fruitful life.
In 1941, during World War II, West Visayan Academy (on the west side of the Philippine archipelago) dismissed its graduate classes for four years until the war ended. Lily studied at Philippine Union College (now Adventist University of the Philippines) in Silang, Cavite, Luzon, earning a BSE degree in 1953. There she met her husband, Filemon C. Cabansag. Lily taught school for six years and continued studying. Along the way, Filemon and Lily had five children: Nellie Joy, F. Wayne, Faye Lynn, Dean Allan, and Earle Brian.
The young family moved to the United States when Filemon earned a scholarship to work on his medical internship in Phoenix, Arizona. Nellie and Lily followed in 1955. Filemon completed his psychiatric internship in Pueblo, Colorado, and his residency in surgery at Detroit Memorial Hospital in Michigan. Next, Dr. Cabansag did a residency in family practice at Madison Hospital near Nashville, Tennessee. Lily graduated in 1963 with a BSN from Madison College in Tennessee and earned her MPH at Loma Linda University, California, in 1983.
The Cabansags served as missionaries for six years in Honduras, a country with two rainforests: the Cerro Las Minas mountains (topping out at 9,347 feet high) and the Sierra Madre range spanning the country’s western portion. Mangroves, cloud forests, two coastlines, the second-largest coral reef in the world, the largest rainforest north of the Amazon, and more than 700 bird species all provide a rich environment for the country’s 3,000-year-old Mayan culture. Dr. Cabansag felt called to provide medical and spiritual care in that setting while Lily taught healthful living themes with practical application. Seventh-day Adventist church members provided a building for the medical clinic, to which Dr. Cabansag added a 10-bed hospital.
The Cabansag family returned to the United States to work in Pennsylvania. In 1968, Fred Murray invited them to Eden Hospital in Texas, where Dr. Cabansag served as medical director. In early 1969, they moved to Santa Anna, Texas, where they acquired the old Santa Anna Hospital and the 100-bed Ranger Park Nursing Home. “A hospital was needed in Santa Anna,” Lily recalls. Two years later, the nursing home was converted into a 30-bed hospital (plus three beds in the nursery) and a 70-bed nursing home, adding another wing to the facility. “These facilities continued to function with God’s blessing,” Lily notes, adding that the Cabansag Medical Clinic was also built at that time.
“Operating three facilities afforded a very busy life for Dr. Filemon for several years, being on call for the hospital and nursing home 24/7, day after day,” Lily confides. As a nurse, she was busily involved where needed. In 1985, they decided to close the hospital to relieve some pressure on Dr. Cabansag. In 1995, he decided to close the Ranger Park Nursing Home. After residents were accommodated in other nursing homes, the facility was donated to another ministry.
The Cabansags moved to Keene, Texas, where three of their children were in school at Southwestern Adventist College (now Southwestern Adventist University). Even though he was in his early eighties, Dr. Cabansag continued to work full-time at his clinic until he passed away in 2007.
Lily’s generous heart and love for serving others are as keen as ever. She loves helping children through school and supports overseas evangelistic projects. Her cooking classes continue to delight taste buds and advance healthful living. Lily’s passion for helping and teaching others to enjoy vibrant lives also draws individuals to seek her spiritual advice.
When a Southwestern Union Record writer asked Lily about her journey a decade ago, she replied: “I’ve learned to pray more and to be in touch with Jesus in a serious relationship. I’ve allowed Him to lead my life more closely, setting an appointment with God every day and making sure to keep it.” Lily sees God’s hand pointing, leading, and guiding up to the present time. Her continued prayer is: “Lord, please order my steps today. Make me strong—not for the sake of possessing strength, but to make me sufficient for the crisis moments in my life and the lives of others who reach out to me. Make me a blessing to at least one soul today.”
Thank you, Lily! Congratulations on your first hundred years!
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Kitty Evans, a freelance writer based in Texas, enjoys sharing people’s stories. She is currently writing about centenarians in the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. If you know a member of the Texas Conference who is 100 years old or older, please email news@txsda.org.
