Gloria Brillantes Supnet

Gloria Brillantes Supnet passed away on Monday, October 23, 2017 at her home with her family . She was born in the scenic and affable town of Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, 37 kilometers (23 miles) south of the provincial capital of Vigan.

Gloria was with her aunt in Olongapo, Zambales on vacation from a semester break from the Santo Tomas University in Manila when he met a good looking sailor who was on a reenlistment leave visiting Subic Bay Naval Base. His name was Manuel “Manny” Supnet.

Gloria and Manny were not really strangers to each other because they were from the same town and had met before. Besides their parents and grandparents were very close friends. Her grandparents owned the only rice mill that serviced three neighboring towns. His parents owned a general store and a photography studio. Consequently, their grandparents, parents and families were well known in town.

Seemingly, the marriage of Gloria and Manny was prearranged. In three days they would get married happily in church. Conversely, in two days, sadly he would leave her to report for duty in Japan.. He would be the editor of the newspaper of the Military Sea Transportation Service, Far East Area in Yokohama.

Gloria finally would join her husband after three months of gathering all the necessary paperwork. She arrived in Tachikawa Air Force Base at past midnight but her husband was already there waiting for her in an official Navy car with a Japanese driver.

Gloria and Manny would enjoy their three year tour of duty in Japan. Commodities were cheap. Exchange of money was then 360 yen to a dollar. Manny was already a journalist first class and his pay was more than enough for them.

After three years, they and their first born left Japan for the then Naval Auxiliary Air Station in Fallon, Nevada now the homeport of the Blue Angels. Two of their five children was born in Nevada, one in San Diego and the last one in Washington, D.C.

The last ten years of his more than 30-year naval career were in San Diego and they not moved eversince. That was in 1976. When Manny retired in 1986 at the San Diego Naval Training Center, Gloria was commended by the Commanding Officer for her paramount support.