Dr. Sinforoso S. Padilla Jr. MD, known to friends and family as “Paddy”
or “Doc”, passed away early morning on Sunday, January 13, 2019, in Holland,
Michigan. Paddy was born in 1934 in Manila, Philippines, to Dr. Sinforoso G.
Padilla, Sr. and Lourdes M. Padilla. Paddy grew up in the Philippines and as a
young boy experienced the challenges of living through WWII during the
occupation and liberation. He attended college and medical school at the
University of the Philippines (UP), where he earned his Medical Doctorate in
‘57. He was an Instructor of Medicine at
UP,
and
first came to the United States to study renal medicine as a Babcock Research
Fellow at U of M Ann Arbor in ‘57. He also worked on the first prototypes of
the hemodialysis machine at Cleveland Clinic. After returning to the
Philippines as co-founder and Chief of the renal unit at the UP-Philippine
General Hospital, he later returned to the US to continue surgical residency
and officially immigrated to the US in ‘68. Paddy became a US citizen in 1972.
He put down roots in Hart, Michigan in the early
‘70’s
,
where he established and ran his own medical practice as
physician
and
general surgeon for nearly 30 years. He was also the Oceana County Medical
Examiner from ‘74-’88. Paddy retired from practicing medicine in ‘01, met and
married Dorothy and eventually moved to Holland. In addition to being an avid
crossword enthusiast, Paddy could’ve been found anywhere joy was to be had,
whether it was with his Masonic Lodge brothers, out dancing with his wife,
fishing, singing karaoke or sightseeing the country while visiting his
extensive family. Doc, as he was known to his Masonic brothers, was proud to be
a member of the Grand Lodge of Michigan, Unity Lodge No. 191, Oceana Wigton
Benona No. 200, and Saugatuck No. 328. Doc held numerous positions within the
Masons organization from 1984 to present, including Senior Deacon, Senior
Steward, and Mason of the Year. In addition to being a Freemason, Doc was also
a heavily active Shriner. As a Shriner, Doc made several hundred trips to
transport sick and ailing kids to various Shriner hospitals all across the
Midwest. He also was a consulting physician for the Shriners in the early
2000s, where he helped assess children in need of care. Paddy also enjoyed
clowning around as his alter-ego “Papa Doc” when he performed as a Shriner
circus clown in circuses and parades. Paddy is survived by his wife, Dorothy;
former wife Sharyn; sons Steve (Jodi), Stewart (Lisa), Scott (Tonya) and
Spencer (Shannon); his stepchildren Sheryl VanderYacht (Dean), Susan Ringwold
(Merle), Bob Scamehorn (Adonna); 13 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild;
siblings Leila Otterman (Joseph), Lorraine Fulton (Alastair), Lelah Pliska, Lourdes-Marie
Schaefer, Leta Aljadir, Lillie Mae Padilla-Krishna (Gopal), Lauretta Stuart
(Ken), Luella Smith, Lester Padilla (Vicky), Lynne Greenblatt (Bob) and Lyle
Padilla. He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Lorelei, and 1
grandchild. Visitation will be Saturday, January 19,
6:30PM
–
8:30PM
at
Lakeshore Memorial Services, 11939 James St, Holland, MI 49424. The funeral
service will take place Sunday, January 20 at
1:00PM
at
Lakeshore Memorial Services, with Pastor Joe Coffman officiating. In lieu of
flowers, the family requests a donation be made in Paddy’s honor to support
research efforts to cure pancreatic cancer. Donations may be made to the
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at pancan.org/donate, or through the mail at
1500 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.
