Mrs. Perdoy
Mrs. Pedoy
Behind every great man is a great woman, and so is the case of Mrs. Bartolornia “Maria” Pedoy. Together they had one son, Eduardo J Pedoy.
When the GGM married Mrs. Pedoy, she had six children, which the GGM adopted
- John Adaro
- Marshall Adaro
- Alberto Adaro
- Martina Navares
- Rose Rapoza
- Julianna Riddle
Mrs. Pedoy’s children respected the GGM; they would throw him a huge birthday party each year. They would have the party at a park or a beach and always invited the GGM’s escrima instructors. The food was fantastic, and we would spend the day with the family.
I knew Mrs. Pedoy for over 20 years. I traveled with her and the GGM to Los Angles, Las Vegas, Hilo, Cebu, Leyte, and Bohol, Philippines. While traveling, we would place her in a wheelchair, and once we got to the hotel room, she could walk enough to get around. In all my traveling with them, I do not remember her ever complaining or causing us to be late.
Once in the Philippines, on her home Island of Bohol, her relatives showed up at our hotel and asked her for money, clothes, and even her slippers. We stopped them from taking all her clothes and slippers, but I think she would have given them if we were not there.
One of the funniest things Mrs. Pedoyonce told me is, “in choosing a girlfriend or wife, it is like choosing a rooster to buy; you first have to check out their legs.”
One of the incredible things about Mrs. Pedoy was her memory. After Escrima class, the instructors and the GGM would have dinner, and we would discuss different things, and we would all be wondering about someone’s name; out of nowhere, Mrs. Pedoy always had the answer. Her memory was unbelievable, even into her 90s.
After each class at the GGM’s house, she or the GGM would cook the instructor’s dinner, and she would comment who screamed the most from the counters that night and call them a “crybaby.”
Mrs. Pedoy was diabetic, and the GGM would massage her ankles every night with coconut oil for about 5-10 minutes for each foot. He would explain to us that this daily massage would prevent any amputations on her toes and feet in the future. Sure enough, it worked, and Mrs. Pedoy never required amputations.
Like the GGM, we miss Mrs. Pedoy; they treated us, the Derobio instructors, like their extended family.