Gloria Caceres Alhambra

Gloria Caceres Alhambra, 97, of Daly City, California, passed away on May 11, 2023, in San Carlos, California. She was born on January 10, 1926, in Sara, Iloilo, Philippines to Ramon Piamonte Caceres and Socorro Ocoma Caceres.

Gloria learned about survival and resilience during World War II. When Japan attacked the American and European territories in the Pacific in December 1941, Gloria was fifteen, attending school away from her hometown, and living with her father's relatives in another island. Amid the ensuing chaos of the advancing invasion, she was separated from her relatives, ended up on the island of Mindanao, and wandered and lived mostly among strangers in Lanao province for the duration of war. Meanwhile, her parents and her siblings fled their hometown and hid in the more remote, forested areas of northern Iloilo province. Gloria was only united with her family after the war ended in 1945. Her parents then sent her and her younger sister Sol to live with their mother's sister in Manila to continue their education at Paco Catholic School.

After graduating from high school, her mother encouraged her to go to college. Gloria graduated with a bachelor's degree from Iloilo City College, where she met her future husband, Celestino Carpio Alhambra. They were married in 1953, on her 27th birthday, in Jaro, Iloilo City, where they lived until her husband's job with the US Information Service's Thomas Jefferson Cultural Center was relocated to Manila in 1958. She gave birth to two daughters in Iloilo City, and three sons and another daughter in Manila.

In 1969, Celestino immigrated to the United States, and Gloria, along with their six children, followed in 1971.

They settled in Daly City, California, where she became involved with the growing Filipino American community as well the PTA at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, where her three youngest children attended. Her involvement with the PTA and the Jefferson School District's bilingual education advisory committee led to a job as a teacher's aide. She soon took courses at San Francisco State University to fulfill requirements for a California teaching credential. After she became a classroom teacher, she continued to take graduate-level evening classes at SF State, where in 1984, she received a master's degree in special education.

She taught at MP Brown and George Washington Elementary Schools in Daly City. In 1998, she retired from full-time teaching.

She was a member of the Filipino American Involvement League and the Tayo-Tayo Club. She was one of the co-founders of the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center (PBRC) and served on its Board of Directors and Advisory Board. In addition, she was a co-founder of the Fil-Am Democratic Club of San Mateo. On her 90th birthday, in 2016, the Mayor and City Council of Daly City presented her with a Certificate of Recognition for dedicating "herself to enhancing the quality of life for all members of the Filipino-American community."

A devout Catholic, she worshipped at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Daly City and was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America and a Marian rosary prayer group. After she retired from teaching, Gloria went on pilgrimages to Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rome, Italy, Lourdes, France, and Emmittsburg, Maryland.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, sisters Imelda Caceres Padios and Dolores Caceres Saliente, brothers Reynaldo Ocoma Caceres and Rodolfo Ocoma Caceres, brothers-in-law Juanito Padios, Delfin Villanueva, Marcelo Saliente, and Tomas C. Alhambra, and sisters-in-law Ligaya Cortez Caceres, Milagros Zaldariaga Caceres, and Corazon Jimenez Alhambra.

Gloria is survived by her sister Soledad Caceres Villanueva, sister-in-law Gilda Isidero Caceres, children Connie (Dan) Castro, Socorro (Ed) Kaplan, Celestino (Faith) Alhambra, Jr., Chris Alhambra (Ed McCord), Celso Alhambra, and Gloria (Tom) Spencer, grandchildren Rheea Alhambra, Joshua Castro, Katrina Alhambra, Lianni Castro (James) Teets, Jared Alhambra, Joseph (Sara) Castro, Alyssa (Brendon) Kielty, Nichole Spencer, Ian (Sarah) Spencer, Owen Spencer, and Ryann Kaplan, great-grandchildren Hannah, Kayla, Joseph, and Timothy Winningham; Gem and Jax Martinez; Lukas, Mila, and Zadie Castro; Theia Kielty; and Shyla Spencer, and great-great-grandchildren Christiana Grace and Emilia Arredondo.

Our dad passed away on May 12, 1999, and our mom survived him for another 24 years, thanks to her faith and to the love and support of her extended family and her amazing circle of fellow educators and friends. The last three years have been difficult and challenging. We like to think that our mom waited until after the Covid-19 emergency was declared over, and significantly, she passed away just a day shy of the anniversary of her husband's passing, which was the greatest heartbreak of her long and well-lived life.

Eternal rest grant unto her, oh Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her.

A viewing will be held at Duggan's Serra Mortuary in Daly City on May 22 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, with a rosary vigil from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. A funeral service will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Daly City on May 23 at 10:30 am, followed by interment at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma.