Melanie Absalon Balbin
July 2,1954 – February 5, 2026
Melanie Balbin
Melanie Absalon Balbin, 71 from Everett, WA passed away quickly from lung cancer due to EGFR genetic mutation in Kirkland, WA on February 5, 2026. She was surrounded lovingly with family when she passed away.
She was born on July 2, 1954, in Quezon City, Philippines, to Florina Avellano Absalon and Lutgardo Absalon. Growing up, she loved all kinds of animals (cats, dogs, turtles, monkeys) and enjoyed listening to classical music and artists such as ABBA, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles. She enjoyed playing the piano with her siblings growing up. She studied at Araneta University in the Philippines and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business. She immigrated to Maryland, USA with her parents and siblings in the late 1970s. In Maryland, she worked in an office as a data entry operator for a couple of years.
In 1980, she married Emiliano Balbin Jr., and they had two children: Maureen, born in 1985 and Mark, born in 1990. In 1987, she relocated to Washington State with Emiliano and Maureen. Shortly after, her son Mark was born.
She became a certified nursing assistant (CNA) because she wanted to take care of elderly people and to spend more time with her children, Maureen and Mark. She was a CNA for many years before she retired. She had a deep affection for cooking and preparing food for her husband, daughter, son, daughter-in-law, son-in-law and grandchildren, making sure they were always fed every time they came to the house. Her interests included shopping, watching movies, and going on road trips with her family. Her favorite road trips were to The Grotto in Portland, Ocean Shores, Port Townsend, Bellingham, and La Push. She loved animals and adored her cat, Daisy. She loved reading books, especially Catholic and Christian books. She was extremely religious and faithful. She loved taking care of her granddaughters, Audrey and Lianna, and was excited to meet her new grandchild. She would sing “You Are My Sunshine” to Maureen, Mark, Audrey and Lianna, which her father had sung to her as a child. Melanie was very generous, kind, caring, joyous, funny and hard working.
She was preceded in death by her father, mother, younger brother, and cat Meelo and Noah. She is survived by her husband, daughter, son, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, two granddaughters, one grandchild on the way, 2 sisters, 2 brothers, in laws, and her cat Daisy and her grand-cats and grand-dogs.
A viewing will be held at 2 pm at Barton Family Funeral Service in Kirkland, WA on February 27, 2026.
A funeral service and mass will be held at 10:30 am at Saint John Mission (Catholic Church) in Mukilteo, WA on February 28, 2026. Then an interment burial service will be held at 2:30 pm in Holyrood Cemetery in Shoreline, WA on the same day after the funeral service.
3 Responses to “Melanie Absalon Balbin”
Leave a Reply
Please be respectful. Disrespectful comments will not be published
Please do not link to other Internet content such as videos, songs, or text files.
When you have successfully submitted a comment, look in the space above to see your comment.
Your comment is awaiting moderation. All comments need to be approved by an administrator before appearing
If you do not see your comment, click HERE
Melanie was an inspirational and loving woman who will be sorely missed by me and all her family.
Ate Lani, you were more than just my sister-in-law—you were a true blessing in my life. Kind, supportive, and sweet, you had a gentle way of making people feel loved, and you always knew how to make me smile, even on the hardest days. Your warmth and quiet humor brought comfort to so many of us. I am so proud of you for giving everything you had to raise your children in a loving, nurturing home. You did that with so much grace and selflessness, and it shows in the beautiful family you built. You truly are a gift from God.
Your support after my husband passed was immense and carried me through my deepest sadness. I will forever be grateful for your love and kindness. We will see each other one day, and until then, I will see you in my dreams. I love you.
You may be gone from our sight, but you will never be gone from our hearts. You will always be remembered, always loved, and always missed. Rest in peace, dear Ate Lani. 🤍
Mom, know that I will love you forever and it was such an honor being your son. My sister and I were very lucky to have such a caring, strong willed and loving human being as a mother.
My mom was born in Quezon City Philippines on July 2, 1954 to Lutgardo and Florina Absalon, a middle child and the youngest daughter out of six children. She immigrated to the United States in the late 1970’s and married my father Emiliano Balbin Jr in November of 1980. My sister Maureen was born on October of 1985 and I came along 5 years later.
This is a letter I wrote for you mom:
Dear Mom,
I will always remember how you loved sharing stories about your life. One of the craziest stories you told me was how you jumped down from the rooftop of your house in the Philippines, trying to escape another guy trying to court you. I am so happy you did not do that for Dad. In fact, you dated him for a year even though on your first date Dad’s jeep ran out of gas and you guys had to walk to the restaurant. Mom, thank you for choosing Dad and pursing a life with him.
In making that decision, you built a family that became your greatest pride. From the moment you brought my sister and I into this world, your encouragement was our constant. I think back to how you’d lug those heavy drums to school for me, complaining a little but still willing to do it. You weren’t just a witness to our lives; you were our biggest champion. Whether it was enrolling my sister in piano lessons or signing me up for martial arts, you invested in our passions and believed in our ability to succeed. You rejoiced in every one of our wins as if they were your own. And by ensuring we both walked across that college graduation stage without the crushing weight of a student debt, we were able to just focus on building our own lives with our own successful careers and spouses that you graciously accepted and loved as much as your own children.
When you and Dad learned you’d be blessed with two granddaughters born just months apart, your heart found a new meaning into becoming the best grandmother for Lianna and Audrey. You stepped into your role as grandma with such devotion, declaring immediately that daycare and school buses were not needed, because they had you. You were the one who kept them warm and dry on rainy days, ensuring they always had a warm coat to wear. You made sure they were fed, had water to drink, bathed, and spoiled not just with gifts and toys but unconditional love. Mom, I know that being Grandma is your pride and joy, as you jokingly tell me that I’m not your buboy anymore. Even though you’re no longer physically here, I promise that they will know who you were and how much you loved them even after death, especially for your unborn granddaughter who you never got a chance to meet. She was one of the biggest reasons why even after a devastating cancer diagnosis, you wanted to fight and remain here with us.
Mom, one of the last things you told me before you pass was that life was important and to take care of both myself and the family. I will do my best to honor that and to always make sure you’re proud of us. Mom, don’t be too far and still watch over us, providing us guidance throughout life. Ma, I will love you forever and thank you for being my mom.