He Just Took Care of Us: A Eulogy for My Uncle Harry Dy, Tua Yi Tiu
Delivered at his funeral on Friday, January 16, 2026.
For those who don’t know me, my name is Chiara. My family calls me Chi Chi. Harry Dy is my uncle, I call him Tua Yi Tiu.
I now live in Germany. On Tuesday, I woke up and saw the message from my mom that Tua Yi Tiu passed away. By that evening, I was already on a plane home.
When I think about Tua Yi Tiu, what comes to mind isn’t one big moment. It’s 35 years of quiet, ridiculous generosity. So I’ll just tell a few stories to explain who Tua Yi Tiu was to me.
- When My Dad Passed Away: I was 12 when my dad passed away in 2003. When I look back and ask myself, “How did we manage to have such a comfortable childhood, despite my mom having to raise me and my sister as a single mom?” A big part of the answer is Tua Yi and Tua Yi Tiu. They helped pay for our tuition, gave us grocery money, they invited us to eat out all the time. The first time we went on a trip abroad after my father passed away was with Tua Yi, to Hong Kong. It’s all these things that make a child not only survive, but really feel like everything is normal, safe, and comfortable.
- The Ninong Advantage: And it’s not just the big things. As a kid, I always told my sister I got The Ninong Advantage. When you're a ninong, you give a Christmas gift to your inaanak. In my case, Tua Yi Tiu was not my ninong, he was my sister's ninong. But they gave not only my sister, but also me Christmas gifts. It didn’t even occur to them that they had to give only to atsi. They gave to everyone. That’s just how he and Tua Yi are.
- “Harry Dy”: Another thing is we are always at their house. It’s still one of the first things I do when I come back to Manila: go to their house and make myself at home. I would tease them, lie on their bed, and yes, always use their bathroom to do number two. It never felt like I was visiting. It just felt normal to be there. We went there so often, kilala na kami ng guard. We’d just say, “Harry Dy,” and he’d open the gate. And now I realized I won’t be able to say that anymore…
- Camry: Even as I approached my 30s and moved to Germany, he’s still always thinking of us. Last year, Tua Yi was planning the sale of a Camry, their old car. Tua Yi Tiu said, but Chi Chi and Gin Gin are coming home. Let’s wait for them first, so they have a car they can use while they are here, and then we can sell after. With Tua Yi Tiu, he doesn’t only lend you stuff, he actually proactively offers you the help.
- November 15: Even when I wasn’t home, he still found ways to check in and show that he cares. We actually have the same birthday — November 15. So we have a long running thread in Viber that goes like this, ““Happy birthday, Tua Yi Tiu.” “Happy birthday also, Chi Chi. Take care, stay safe.” It would’ve been too easy just to type thank you, happy birthday to you too. But he’s always texting me to stay safe and take care. I appreciated that extra effort to type all of that.
Yesterday, we were walking down the corridor here in Heritage and I saw his photo outside the chapel. He’s there… And no longer here. That’s when it kind of sank in.
Reflecting on Tua Yi Tiu’s generosity, what is most remarkable is not just the generosity, but that it never had any ulterior motive. He wasn’t doing it to control us. He never made us feel any guilt. He never told or reminded us of how much he is helping us. He just gave, because that’s who he was. I couldn’t make up a man this generous if I tried. It would be too unrealistic.
When Tua Yi asked if I would do a eulogy, I said atsi will do it. Akala ko nakatakas na ako. But of course I said yes — this is the least I can do for the man who was so kind and generous to us.
Tua Yi Tiu —
Thank you for taking care of our family.
Thank you for helping raise us.
Thank you for making me feel safe, for making me feel loved, for making me feel welcome, my whole life.
In our annual birthday message exchange, your last message was,
“Stay safe. I am taking care.”
Please take care over there.