Jose Palma's Obituary
Jose Protacio Palma was born on June 19, 1933 in Putol, Kawit, Cavite, Philippines. He was the first-born child of the eleven children of Mariano Fernandez Palma and Rosario Aquino Paleon. Growing up during the war, the Palma Family grew up in a humble household in the barrio of Putol, having been surrounded by family and close friends https://nearby.Upon graduating high school, Jose attended Francisco Law School in Manila, Philippines as a law student, as he aspired to become a lawyer. Although his commitment to his studies were attainable, a few years into his program, Jose was unable to complete his law degree, as his parents needed him to work to help financially support the family. He obtained employment with the Philippine Naval Base located in Cavite City, Philippines, where he was responsible for administrative support for the https://military.Jose was recruited to enter the U.S. Navy. In 1954, Jose left his parents and siblings behind as he traveled solo to the United States to attend bootcamp at Naval Training Center-San Diego in San Diego, Calif. After successfully graduating from U.S. Navy bootcamp, Jose was assigned to the USS Valley Forge aircraft carrier where he served as a Navy personnelman during the Korean War. Upon return, Jose was then stationed at U.S. Naval Base-Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia. Jose was then assigned to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he completed shore duty. While stationed in the Bay Area and through a colleague, he met Dalisay Lourdes Cruz of San Francisco. Jose and Dalisay were married on September 26, 1959 in San Francisco. On September 22, 1960, Dalisay gave birth to their first born child/son, Jeffrey Joseph. Three years later, Gregory James was born on September 15, 1963. Jose and Dalisay’s third child/son, George Christopher, was born on February 22, https://1968.In 1966, Jose and his family relocated to the Philippines, as the U.S. Navy assigned Jose back to his homeland where he was stationed in Sangley Point-Naval Base. However, due to base closure, he was then transferred to Subic Bay military base in https://Olongapo.After completing his tour in the Philippines, Jose, along with his immediate family, returned to mainland United States where he was assigned to U.S. Naval Base Air Station-Alameda and the U.S. Naval Receiving Station-Treasure Island in San Francisco, Calif. Here, he completed the remainder of his 20+ military career as a Chief Petty Officer (PNC) and on December 9, 1974, Jose officially retired from the U.S. https://Navy.After military retirement, in 1975, Jose continued to work and was employed with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Company for 30+ years, where he was fortunate to work alongside Dalisay, who served as a material planner. Upon retirement from Lockheed Martin, Jose (and Dalisay) enjoyed traveling abroad, spending time with and cooking for family and friends, visiting the casino to play poker, and remained an active parishioner at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fremont, Calif., where Jose was a founding father of Holy Spirit’s Filipino Association and a resident council for the parish. In addition, Jose was very active with the Imperial Council of Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of Mystic Shrine; a member of the Freemason Grand Lodge (#167) of California, having reached the level of Grand Master Mason; and a member of the Fleet Reserve https://Association.On August 23, 2001 after a long battle with cancer, Dalisay passed away at home. After Dalisay’s death, Jose spent his days enjoying time with his mother; children; grandchildren; siblings; nieces and nephews- even helping to care for and babysit the young children in the https://family.In 2003, through a mutual friend, Jose met Erlinda (“Rebecca”) Quintana and the two married shortly after in Reno, Nevada. Jose and Erlinda enjoyed gathering with friends and participating in Filipino shows within the Bay Area, where Erlinda would guest perform as a singer/actress. They also spent their past time in the casino, where Jose was able to participate in poker https://tournaments.Jose Protacio Palma passed away on Monday, August 11, 2025 in Palo Alto, Calif. He was preceded in death by father, Mariano; mother, Rosario; siblings, Apolinario, Benjamin, Alberto, Perpetua, Hipolito, and Rebecca Perez; late wife, Dalisay; and sons, Jeffrey Joseph and Gregory James. He is survived by wife, Erlinda; son, George Christopher (Lorena); Gregory's common law wife, Melissa Ruth; and grandchildren, Travis James (Brianna), Lauren Elizabeth and Ava Marie; step-grandchildren, Claudia Janet and Jose Miguel Barragan, and Natalie Vanessa Partida; step-great-grandchildren, Yvette Rincon, Kali Mae and Olivia Rae Serrano; step-great-great-grandchild, Emiliano Roger Romero; and siblings, Perlita Tangonan, Amorita Espiritu, Rosalinda Rivera, and Geronimo Palma.
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