Dr. Tomas M. Pattugalan Jr.

During these very trying times we at Donohue Cecere Funeral Home want to assure you that we have taken every precaution to provide a safe environment for you and your loved ones. Our location is cleaned and sanitized daily and we continue to follow best practices for social distancing and safety.
In accordance with Executive Order 202.17 (which requires any individual over age two, and able to medically tolerate a face-covering, be required to cover their nose and mouth with a mask or cloth face-covering when in a public place) we are required to follow this mandate or risk being shut down; therefore, all individuals entering our funeral home will be asked to wear a face mask or cloth face covering.
As of the latest update we are able to offer limited visitation periods in the funeral home for family and friends up to 25 people per session. Please be mindful when visiting during these sessions to limit the amount of time spent at the funeral home. This will give the opportunity for other family and friends to visit.

Dr. Tomas Pattugalan, Dedicated Doctor in the Face of Coronavirus Pandemic, dies at 70.

Dr. Tomas M. Pattugalan, Jr., 70, entered Eternal Life Sunday, March 29, 2020 after contracting COVID-19 from caring for sick patients in his office.

Tomas was born in Tuguegarao City in the Philippines to the late Lourdes Mallillin and Tomas Pattugalan, Sr. He graduated from The University of the East – Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City in 1974. He would later serve the community of Jamaica, Queens, NY for over 40 years as a primary care physician.

He was known by many for his warm and compassionate bedside manner, his dedication to the wellness of his patients, his gregarious personality, his love for dining and singing, and his faithful and dependable care in the medical field.

“Dr. Pattugalan loved and cared for his patients, truly exemplifying the profession of medicine, and the critical role of primary care in our country.” said Harry S. Jacob, MD, Chief Executive Medical Officer of Primary PartnerCare. “Being a doctor was not a job for Tomas, it was a calling and a profession. He loved being a doctor.”

Dr. Tomas will be celebrated as a hero who paid the ultimate sacrifice in his quest to serve humanity during a global pandemic. He will be remembered as a man filled with faith, joy and love, and cherished as a devoted doctor, father, husband, brother, cousin, and Lolo. He is survived by his wife, Rowena, and their daughter, Tammy; his first wife, Imelda, and their two children, Patty (Justin) and Gino; grandson, John Thomas (J.T.); Bernard (Moonlight) the son of his late brother Albert, and his sisters, Ching (Tony) and Ligaya (Rey), as well as numerous brothers-and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews and cousins.

A Funeral Mass will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 29, 2020 at his parish St. Brigid Church with private inurnment to follow at Holy Rood Cemetery.  Donohue Cecere has been entrusted with arrangements.

Condolences may be shared on this perpetual tribute page or sent to Donohue Cecere Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to the following:

Church of St. Brigid

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa

National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia

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