Fred Espaldon, husband of Merle Lazaro Espaldon

Hello, everyone. My name is Karen Espaldon You may have been wondering why the owner of this page hasn't posted in a while or responded to messages. It is my great sorrow to inform you all that my father, Wilfredo Espaldon, passed away on January 24. He is survived by his wife, Merle and his two daughters, Karen (Ted Carniol) and Michelle (Roger White). He is also survived by his grandchildren, Ben and Kate Carniol, who have made appearances on this page and his sister Ligaya Avenida (Ron), and many other extended relatives. He was predeceased by his parents, Jose and Dolores (Figueras) Espaldon. He is also survived by many relatives remaining in Gubat, including the Figueras and Bartolome families. Fred, as he was more commonly known, was born in Gubat in 1936 and spent a happy childhood there before leaving for the United States at the age of 17. He received an English degree from San Francisco State University and worked for several San Francisco newspapers as a reporter. He married Merle Lazaro in 1963 before returning to the Philippines in 1964. He continued to work as a journalist in the Philippines, notably working to expose the Marcos regime. Fred was named a Fellow by the Society of Professional Journalists and won a grant for post-graduate studies at Stanford University, serendipitously just two weeks before martial law was declared. He worked tirelessly for the restoration of democracy in the Philippines, as noted in the book, A Conjugal Dictatorship. It was a tremendous day for him when Marcos was eventually ousted from power. Fred was full of life and charm. Like most Gubatnons, he enjoyed singing, dancing, and enjoying life. He was always very proud of his hometown and made sure to introduce its charms to his grandchildren, who visited several times. He is greatly missed. fred Espaldon