THE ROLDAN FAMILY
Marcos ( Papa, Mark, Maz) Cablayan Roldan was born on April 25, 1908 in Narvacan, llocos Sur, Philippine Islands. His parents, Sabino and Rufina, also had four daughters. At 19, he immigrated to the US and arrived in San Francisco, CA on the USS President Grant on April 7, 1927. Mark worked
as a field laborer throughout California, Arizona, and Michigan. He never forgot his family in the Philippines and he always sent money home to his parents and sisters. He also worked for the Hiura Apple Company during apple season in Watsonville. Mark met Lily (Cookie) Crisostomo at the apple shed. He asked her if she could make good spaghetti, and she said, of course. Soon after they were married. Cookie became an excellent cook of Filipino food, creating dishes Mark loved. He became a father to her children- Stephen, Cristostomo, Rocky Crisostomo, Linda Crisostomo, Lily Marlene Joyner, Robert Crisostomo, and Alan Crisostomo. Mark loved making wooden tops, Filipino kites, and wooden stilts for his children and the children in the neighborhood. Mark and Cookie were involved in many Filipino Community activities during the '50s, '60s, 70s & 80s, and always encouraged their children to have fun and participate.
From 1950 to 1995, Mark was an active member of the Legionarios Del Trabajo. He became a US Citizen in 1995 in San Jose, CA. While working three, sometimes four jobs, he and Cookie saved enough to buy their first house in Watsonville. Some of his hobbies included raising roosters and chickens and growing flowers and vegetables. He was an avid fisherman who loved camping in their camper truck, bringing their children and grandchildren. He raised his children to have a good work ethic and taught us to remember our heritage and to be proud to be Filipino. Mark passed away in 2006, and Cookie recently passed away in 2022.