Gloria Padilla Hadarly

Gloria Padilla Hadarly, also known as “Pon,” died on September 9, 2024 at the age of 75. She is survived by her daughter Ciara, brother Carlos (“Sonny”), and sisters Mercedita (“Chit”) and Angela (“Babeh”). She was predeceased by her husband of 47 years, Bismarck “Bo” Hadarly. Pon was a devoted and loving sister, aunt, wife and mother. Family and friends knew her as someone with a big heart who was always willing to offer a helping hand. Pon was born in San Juan, Metro Manila in the Philippines on August 20, 1949 to Carlos Padilla (“Pang”) and Melania Dolorico (“Mang”).

Pon was the 2nd youngest of 15 children and the youngest of 11 children (6 boys and 5 girls) to reach adulthood. Being the 14th child, Pon figured that Mang had no more nutrients to give, and that is why Pon had so many health problems. It began when she almost died before the age of 3 from diphtheria. The number of surgeries and procedures she accumulated over the years was enough for her, a CPA, to tabulate on a spreadsheet that she kept in her purse. She also kept a spreadsheet of her list of medicines. Her life was full of amazement any time she reached a milestone like turning 50, 60, 70 and 75.

Pon graduated from college with a major in Accounting, and she passed the CPA exam on the first try. She chose Accounting because Mang always wanted her to work in a bank. Mang had a cousin who was a big-time, government bank executive who promised to help one of Mang’s kids with a job at his bank. He helped get Pon through the door, and she worked at his office at the Central Bank as a clerk. He said she could check for openings once she was in, and she saw the opening during massive recruitment for bank examiners. She took the exam, passed it, and was transferred to a department to become a bank examiner.

While at Central Bank, Pon and coworkers heard that Australia was taking applications from accountants to immigrate there. Pon was in a group of five close friends who applied and got to the final stage. Three (Ding, Malou, and Evelyn) went to Australia. Beth was offended by the interviewer, so she went to the U.S. instead—which interested her more, anyway. Pon didn’t go to the final interview because she got side-tracked.

Pon’s sister Lani had settled in Las Vegas with her second husband Del. Lani was showing family pictures one day to her in-laws when Del’s brother Bo spotted Pon. Bo asked if Pon was single and could they be introduced by mail. Pon was so set on going to Australia that she actually ignored two cards of introduction that Bo sent. Lani then called Pon, estimated to be $3/min in the late 70s, where Lani said she missed her family in the Philippines, and she wouldn’t be as lonely if Pon could join her. Since Pon respected Lani and was grateful for everything Lani did for the family, Pon answered the cards from Bo.

Pon and Bo corresponded via letters, audio tapes, and long-distance calls by Bo. The romance had developed over the course of a year. Bo then went to the Philippines, but he and Pon had conditions. If there was a spark at their first face-to-face meeting, they would get married. If not, he would return to the U.S. without Pon. But he was prepared because he brought enough money for a wedding. They met 11/1 and married 11/14/76. With no preparation before they met, Bo and Pon owed a lot to her sister Babeh as she arranged everything in less than two weeks. That allowed for them to play tourists and get to know more of each other in person. Pon’s friend Beth knew someone working at the U.S. Embassy, so she was able to help Pon join Bo back to the U.S.

Looking for work in Las Vegas was not easy. Most businesses were casino-related, and they needed staff with casino experience. Although Pon was a CPA in the Philippines, it didn’t mean much without local experience. Bo encouraged Pon to work for a CPA firm so she could get experience working for a CPA and get her certification in the future. She got a job in a small CPA firm as a bookkeeper entering clients’ transactions (all manually in 1977), and she was offered a salary that was lower than an entry-level bookkeeper. Pon left after six months when she did not get a salary bump despite proving herself.

Gloria applied to a bigger firm in 1977 and was with them until the end—through many changes in name and ownership. While there, she got her certification in the U.S. after passing the CPA exam and completing the required years of experience. Gloria was happy with the firm because they appreciated her capabilities, promoted her, and compensated her well. She was the right hand of owner and mainstay, Sharon McNair. Gloria at one point was co-supervising five other CPAs. She had considered leaving as she was tired of having so many clients. She was tempted to grab an opportunity to work for just one company. But when she gave notice, the owners did all they could to convince her to stay. She was thankful to have stayed because that one company that tempted her to leave went bankrupt a few years later.

Pon’s biggest hobby was taking pictures and videos along with audio recordings from reel-to-reel and cassette tapes. Her favorite subjects were her nieces and nephews, but the hobby especially took flight when she and Bo had their own daughter, Ciara. Pon had thought this was partly because she didn’t have many baby photos. As the 14th child, she figured her parents thought, “Oh, it’s just another one.” So, she became the family historian as she knew the importance of capturing the moments and making memories. She kept detailed records of birthdays, wedding anniversaries, arrivals in the U.S. and even death anniversaries. She especially liked group photos like with her siblings, and then each of those siblings needed to pose with their own families. She once commented that if Pang did not have his stroke when she was 3 years old, and he had a chance to bring her into the film industry, she could’ve been a documentary film maker.

But she found her calling in an office setting. She used to think that she didn’t like shopping because she didn’t enjoy going to the mall and trying on clothes like Babeh. But her love of shopping was really channeled through stores like Office Depot. She loved finding things that could help her organize. On one visit to California, Pon’s niece Ria brought her to IKEA for the first time (years before the Las Vegas store opened). Ria recalled the wonderment on Pon’s face and commented that it was like she was at Disneyland.

When she wasn’t working, Pon loved “layas” which was her term for gallivanting. She loved trying new restaurants, and she had a sweet tooth. She also loved relaxing at night to watch her many medical dramas and PBS Masterpiece shows. And any time she discovered something new, whether it was a favorite restaurant or a show on Netflix, she always wanted to share the love with anyone who would listen.