Gloria Lopez-Tan Galang

Visitation and Mass honoring the life of our mother and lola will be Monday, October 16, 2023.  We invite you to join us 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM with a Funeral Mass at 11:30.  Saint John Vianney, 1755 North Calhoun Road, Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Ma. Gloria Lopez-Tan Galang, matriarch of the Galang family of Wisconsin, died peacefully in her sleep in the early hours of Saturday, October 7th, 2023.  The widow of Miguel Trinidad Galang, she spent a lifetime of service, leading and organizing the Filipino diasporic community in several cities including Regina, Saskatchewan; Peoria, Illinois; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Born on December 31, 1929 in Manila, Philippines to Filemon G. Lopez-Tan and Clara Anca de Lopez-Tan, she was an avid reader and an intellectual from an early age, skipping grades in elementary school and excelling in all subjects. During World War Two, her family kept her out of harm’s way in rural Uni, Quezon, where she continued to develop her love of reading.  After the war her family brought her to Manila where she continued to stand out in her studies, especially English.  There, she served as editor-in-chief for the University of Santo Tomas High School newspaper, cultivating a writing practice she would carry into her work as a community leader and organizer.  She graduated valedictorian from high school and went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Santo Tomas, Asia’s oldest existing university where she later taught.

When Gloria arrived in the United States in the mid-1950’s to attend Milwaukee’s Marquette University as a Master of Arts scholar, she met her husband, Miguel.  He was an intern at Deaconess Hospital who with her co-led the first Filipino culture night at Marquette.  Here is where their love of community organizing began, and their relationship grew.

Miguel and Gloria married on February 6, 1960. Together they had adventures living in Baltimore, Maryland; Wilson, North Carolina; Quezon City, Philippines; Regina, Saskatchewan; Peoria, Illinois, and back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The couple took every opportunity to inculcate Filipino culture not only to their friends and family, but also to the local communities wherever they lived.  Once, in Regina where Filipino nurses were being turned away from housing, the couple organized a campaign to educate locals, producing an evening of Filipino culture in Regina, Saskatchewan. Gloria wrote and directed the program and served as the host, presenting Filipino histories and stories.  Miguel painted scenic murals of their beloved Philippines, doing double duty as the pianist accompanying dancers and singers with traditional folk songs.  The event led to a feature in the local paper where the couple advocated for the nurses’ housing. When the feature appeared in the local news, they began receiving phone calls offering rentals to the Filipina nurses.

For decades, Gloria continued her community leadership, serving as president of a number of organizations including the University of Santo Tomas Alumni Association of Wisconsin, the Philippine Medical Association of Wisconsin Auxiliary, and the Wisconsin chapter of Psi Psi Psi Sorority, a philanthropic organization of Tri Delta Mothers.

Friends and members of the community called her Ate Glo, a term of endearment and respect to an elder sister.  To an entire generation of first generation American born Filpinos, she was Tita Gloria, known for her kindness, her generosity, and her elegance.

More important than her community work was the love, sacrifice and nurturing she provided her family.  Gloria and Miguel built a home in Brookfield, Wisconsin where they raised their six children–Evelina, Miguel, Manuel, Myrna, Marcial, and Marcelino. The organizer of all things, Gloria was able to support her children’s various trajectories of education, career choices, and relationships while instilling in them priorities of love, family, and faith. She, along with her husband, created a rich legacy of gratitude and appreciation of their Filipino culture as well as the history of their journey as immigrants turned naturalized United States citizens.

Working with an architect, Gloria designed a house in the early 1970’s to be both a dwelling for the family and a gathering place for their friends and community.  She had a vision of a house set in the midst of a forest. When clearing the property for building she instructed the contractor to leave the trees surrounding the lot.  She landscaped the garden to create stone pathways and steps made of old railroad ties to weave among the trees. Mature trees grew behind the house and flanked the property on both sides. She planted colorful flower beds and turned a fallen tree and a boulder into garden seating. She constantly made beautiful things out of nothing.

A natural athlete, she was a bowling champion in her youth, and later a tennis player and golfer.  She was an accomplished seamstress, interior designer, and cook, all things she mastered on her own. She has taught her family not only how to play mahjong, but how to strategize to win.   When asked about her views on feminism, she said that even though she never used the word feminist, “I guess I was.”

In her later years, after the passing of Miguel in 2018, Gloria continued to live a full and engaging life. She read widely and critiqued contemporary literature, challenged players as she carried on multiple online games of scrabble simultaneously, consumed the latest streaming series, and enjoyed the company of her grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren. She was a good listener, counselor, and keeper of peace. Visiting with her sons and daughters, especially her grandchildren, brought her joy.

Ma. Gloria Lopez-Tan Galang is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 58 years, Miguel Trinidad Galang; her parents, Filemon and Clara Lopez-Tan; her siblings Rosario, Gregoria, Dominador, and Francisco. She is survived by her siblings Josefa and Romeo; children Evelina (Chauncey), Miguel (Rubee), Manuel, Myrna (Doug), Marcial, and Marcelino (Emily); and her grandchildren Matteo, Lorenzo, Manolo, Nina, Mia, Michael, Anna, Noah, Mason, Julia, Ligaya, Carmen, Josephina, MacArthur, and Wallace.

Eternal rest grant unto Ma. Gloria Lopez-Tan Galang, Oh Lord.  May she rest in peace. And let perpetual light shine upon her.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Heart Association.

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