Caroline Bernades Alconcher

Caroline B. Alconcher passed away peacefully at home on April 30, 2025 at 3:00 am.  She was lovingly surrounded by her children.

Caroline is survived by her children Rudy (Sp. Lory) Alconcher, Carolann Alconcher, Cheryl Anne Alconcher (Sp. Vince) Guandolo, Ronald  (Sp. Tina) Alconcher.  She is survived by her only remaining sister, Cesarina Bernades Armosilla.  She also leaves behind 11 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. Caroline also now joins her late husband and beloved partner of 60 years, Rodolfo Flores Alconcher (died Nov 4, 2018) and her beloved daughter, Abigail Joan Alconcher (died Nov 26, 2021).

Caroline was born in Cebu, Philippines and the seventh child of eight children.  She was born to the parents of a school teacher, Sofia, and Agapito Bernades, a school principal.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Philippine Normal College in 1956.  She lived at an incredible time in the history of the Philippines, born during the U.S. Commonwealth period of the Philippines from 1935-1946.  This period brought a new hope to the people of the Philippines as the surge of “Americanism” influenced public education, politics, land and social reforms and even fashion, sports, films and music.  This bolstered national pride along with an evolving “Americanized” identity.  While her family and fellow countrymen were enjoying this surge of change, it would soon be interrupted by the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, losing a family member to the Bataan Death March. Her formative years were marked with bravery and resilience as her parents and sisters endured this frightening time of threat to the country’s independence.  Soon the nation would be emancipated on July 4, 1946 under the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1946.  This historic period fired up her dreams to come to America. 

The national pride that surged early on during the U.S. Commonwealth period, sparked her enjoyment of Filipino Folk Dancing and in her latter academic years, was accepted as a member of the International Folk Dance Troupe, “Bayanihan”.  It was during her first year in the troupe, while performing at Subic Bay Navy Base, that she met Rodolfo Alconcher.    They were married at Sangley Point Naval Station, Philippines in July 1958.  Later that year, they gave birth to their namesake, Rudy Alconcher in Manila.  By October the following year, they gave birth to another namesake, Carol Ann Alconcher and by then, his enlistment into the U.S. Navy was confirmed.   They both had dreams of coming to America and their dreams were realized when Rodolfo received orders to Naval Training Center San Diego, where the following October, Cheryl Anne Alconcher was born.  Two more children followed, also born at military installations.  Abigail Joan Alconcher at Presdio of San Francisco in 1962 and Ronald Bernades Alconcher in 1963 at Naval Air Station Lemoore. 

Settling into his Navy Career and Caroline as a new Navy wife, NAS Lemoore was newly established two years prior.  Both Caroline and Rudy, still missing their homeland, became one of several Navy Filipinos who founded the first Fil-Am Organization of Kings County.  Caroline became the mother of Folk Dancing, a certain pride she took as a former Bayanihan Professional Folk Dance Entertainer.  Even today, students and their parents alike, from across the decades express fondness for her influence in keeping their heritage alive in their formative years.

While assigned to NAS Lemoore, Caroline began her teaching years as a substitute teacher at Akers Elementary School in 1964.  By 1966, she took a full-time teaching job at Stratford Elementary School, moving the family to the town of Stratford where she continued to teach 2nd grade until her retirement in 1986 marking 20 years of teaching.  In that time, the family moved to the town of Lemoore in 1969, a town that would serve as an anchor, a home base for Caroline and her children, during WestPac deployments to Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.  She kept herself busy teaching Summer School at Central Union Elementary School in Lemoore, while managing to work tirelessly to complete her Masters Degree in Education from Fresno State College in 1970.  She also continued Philippine Folk Dance instruction as an active member of the Fil-Am.  In her early teaching years, as part of her student’s physical education, she taught her students a very famous Philippine folk dance, “Tinikling”.  In fact, she made sure all of her children participated in Filipino Folk Dance festivals throughout various periods of their school years, particularly her daughters. 

After her retirement from Stratford Elementary in 1986, she couldn’t resist the temptation to accept a substitute teaching position at St. Rose-McCarthy Catholic. That soon became a full-time position as a First Grade Teacher, when in 2012, she retired for the last time.

Her children know her to be a very strict parent shaping their own personalities to value service to others and service to the community.  This kind of servant leadership that she instilled in her children was recognized in a feature article in the Hanford Sentinel, which celebrated citizens during the nation’s 1976 BiCentennial Year.

Back then, the Navy and other armed forces, was not equipped to provide families with information about operations, military organization, or offer general communication or morale support as we know it today.  Caroline Alconcher truly earned her badge of honor as a Navy spouse, working full-time and single-parenting her five children during Rodolfo’s tours of duty away.  She also leaves her children and the community with a healthy legacy of being proud to be a Filipino-American, contributing her very best 30+ years of teaching, and community service.   Her footprint in the Central Union School District was not faint nor was her passion to teach.   She will be greatly missed. 

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