Ricardo Saclote Morada, the son of Genaro and Agostina Morada, was 84 years old when he made a peaceful transition to his eternal home on Sept. 18, 2010 at approximately 1:15 p.m. in his hometown of Miagao, on the island of Iloilo in the Philippines. He is survived by his wife Lolita Gamido Morada; his daughter Liberty Josephine Morada Ortiz; his son Peter Bryan Morada; his son-in-law Rodolfo Ortiz; his daughter-in-law Kristen Morada; his grandchildren Serafina, Sophie and Xavier; his half brother Junior; his sisters Fernanda and Agostina Morada; the children of his deceased brother Guillermo; and beloved relatives in the Philippines and the United States.
Mr. Morada arrived in San Francisco in 1948 aboard the USS Meigs, which was bringing home U.S. soldiers after WWII. Mr. Morada worked in California for three years as a migrant farm worker and in food service before going up to Washington to pursue his education.
He received his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Police Science and Administration from Washington State University in 1955 and a Masters in Social Welfare from University of Washington in 1960. He worked as a probation officer for the King County Juvenile Court before finding a job in San Francisco where he could apply his social welfare principles, skills and concepts in a challenging position that would benefit the community at large.
Mr. Morada was the director of The Family Center for Mission Neighborhood Centers when the site first opened in 1961 on Potrero Avenue and 25th Street. He later became the director when offices were relocated to 24th Street, where it housed Headstart, English classes, a volunteer bureau and group work programs.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mr. Morada joined the War on Poverty when he went to work for the Office of Economic Opportunity. His spirit of community service carried on through his work with the Filipino American community, his dedication to multicultural arts and to social services. He and his wife lived in their home on Mt. Davidson in San Francisco until 1995 when he retired and they returned to his hometown Palaca, Miagao in Iloilo.
He returned to the United States often to visit his children and grandchildren in San Francisco and Seattle. He continued to use his education and skills to help his townspeople of Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines.
In 2002 he obtained a grant from the Australian government to build a health center in Miagao. He also helped retired veterans to obtain their benefits from the U.S. military; he additionally helped the local poor and needy people.
He loved his wife and children dearly. He was a strong family man of high integrity, character and values who considered himself an ordinary man who believed in putting ideas into action in the service of his fellow human beings.
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Ricardo Saclote Morada. Photos Courtesy of the Morada Family
Two memorials will be held:
San Francisco CA: Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. at 362 Capp St.
Seattle, WA: Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010 with memorial mass at 10 a.m. Immaculate Conception Church 820 18th Ave. led by Father Jaime Tolang.
A funeral mass and cremation was held in Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines on Sept. 23, 2010; mass was led by Monsignor Sale.
Please contact ilocanasul@aol.com for information