Image: Instagram/@papemelroti
Bienvenido Alejandro, who founded the gifts, decor and trinkets store Papemelroti with his late wife Corit, has passed away.
Alejandro, known fondly as Sir Benny to his staff, was 92 years old when he died on Wednesday, May 15, as announced by Papemelroti via Instagram.
“The papemelroti family sends off our co-founder, our beloved Sir Benny. May he rest in God’s eternal peace,” they said. “Bienvenido G. Alejandro. August 18, 1926-May 15, 2019.”
His daughter, Patricia Alejandro Paterno, also took to Facebook on Wednesday to pay homage to her father.
“Daddy, I will miss you terribly! You were always my champion when I needed one. You took care of us in many practical ways that we sometimes took for granted,” she said. “But you were also a dreamer, always young at heart, always enthusiastic and bursting with plans and ideas and projects.”
Alejandro and his late wife Corit established Papemelroti in Tomas Morato, Quezon City in 1967. Corit, then, wanted to focus on raising their children, so she asked Alejandro to find them a house with a storefront so she could run her own business.
Corit initially called their first store Korben, after her name and Alejandro’s. Their second store, which was put up in Ali Mall in 1976, was officially named Papemelroti as insisted by their children Patsy, Peggy, Meldy, Robert and Tina.
Alejandro’s wake is held at the Loyola Memorial Chapel in Commonwealth, Quezon City. JB
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