Gloria C. Aquino

The pearly gates of Heaven opened and welcomed our beloved Nanay on February 18, 2025. She is now with Our Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth, Jehovah, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, Holy Name. Nanay was 79 when she peacefully left this world on her terms.

Gloria was born on April 4, 1945, in Hilongos, Leyte, Philippines, to parents Camilo and Servanda. She may have only reached up to elementary school, but formal education was no match to her sharp instincts, resourcefulness, and ability to make things happen. Gloria was a hardworking person even at a young age. As the eldest, she helped on the family farm. She chased opportunities knowing that with enough effort, you could always figure things out. Ways to earn a living eventually landed her in Manila, where she met her husband, Ricardo Aquino.

She was a natural-born businesswoman, a self-proclaimed “scientist” of food, gardening, and on love. Nanay had the ability to reinvent herself. She sold puto bisaya and home appliances before becoming a real estate agent in the Philippines. Nanay had a huge hunger for knowledge and proved that intelligence isn’t just about books. Whether she was closing deals, growing something in her garden, or explaining things around her, she did it with confidence, practicality, and flair. Her humor was effortless—her perfectly timed reactions with the way her broken English came out (which she always laughed about), or the stories she loved to tell. Even when she tried to be serious, somehow, that just made it funnier.

In 1997 she moved to the U.S. where she became a housekeeper at Marriott Hotels & Resorts. Characteristically expected of Nanay, she quickly became the best one they had. In 2019, she proudly earned her American citizenship.

She is survived by her children Remendo and wife Carmen, Glocelyn, and Roderick and wife Edna; her grandchildren Ashley and Isabella, who will miss her wisdom, wit, and her always-logical (if sometimes unconventional) explanations; her siblings Cristina and Vicente.

Nanay is now reunited with her parents, husband Ricardo, siblings Virginia, Artemio, Leoncia, Jose, Pesalis, and Nemecio, and the family pets Brownie, Scooter, and Pippa.

Services will be held to honor her life, share stories, and celebrate the woman who never let anything stand in her way. Visitation will be held on Friday, February 28, 2025 from 5:00-9:00 PM. Funeral services will follow on Saturday, March 1st at 10:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you take a page from her book—to Praise God! Nanay has a big heart and has led her life knowing that "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35