Carmelita Salazar Dantic

Carmelita “Carmen” Salazar Dela Vega Dantic, beloved mother and grandma, passed away peacefully on September 6, 2020, with her loving family at her side, after a year-long battle with pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease. She was 76 years old.

Carmelita was born in Manila, Philippines on February 20, 1944. She was the eldest child of the late Andronico Dela Vega and Concepcion Salazar Dela Vega. She graduated from the University of the East in Manila, Philippines. After graduating, she became a nurse at Claybury Hospital in Woodford Bridge, London, England. She then married and moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where she has lived since 1976. She was a community-minded devout Catholic, devoting her time volunteering for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She was an active parishioner at Sacred Heart Catholic Church for over forty years, where she served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and also as a sacristan. She was a Secular Discalced Carmelite for several years, briefly serving as President, and was a member of Bayanihan Club of Jacksonville.

Throughout her life, Carmelita was an avid global traveler going to places like Hong Kong, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, and many other countries. Her favorite country, however, was her homeland the Philippines. In her spare time she loved line dancing, volunteering at the church, cooking Filipino food, and watching the game show Family Feud while snacking on crab legs. Her favorite pastime was spending precious moments with her family and her dearest friends.

Carmelita is survived by her three loving daughters: Mary Charmaine Dantic, Judy Ann Dantic, and Diana F. Dantic, and her dear granddaughter, Victoria. Also surviving are: her former husband, Romeo Dantic of San Diego, California; her beloved sisters: Teresita Soliven of Altus, Oklahoma, Vilma Dela Vega Santos of Manila, Philippines; eight dear nephews: Michael, Jethro, Cristian, Ervin, Adrian, Andrew, and Alvin; one beloved niece Roselle; two grandnephews, numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins, and a host of other extended family members. She will also be greatly missed by her dearest and best friends, her church family, and her sweet grand-dog Caesar.

In addition to her parents, Carmelita was preceded in death by four treasured siblings: Reynaldo Dela Vega, Jaime Dela Vega, Adelia Dela Vega, and Joselito Dela Vega.

Carmelita’s family wishes to express a heartfelt thank you to the doctors and all the wonderful staff at Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside Hospital for taking care of Carmelita in her final days.

A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, September 17, 2020, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Jacksonville, Florida. Due to the current pandemic, there will no visitation or reception. There will be a private burial at Jacksonville Memory Gardens Cemetery in Orange Park, Florida. Face coverings and social distancing guidelines will be practiced for all services. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to send a donation in Carmelita Dantic’s honor to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Carmelita Salazar Dantic, please visit our floral store.