Yolanda S. Padua, M.D.

Yolanda S. Padua, M.D., age 80, passed away surrounded by her family on Monday, June 28, 2021.  She was born on March 20, 1941, to Leandro and Dorothea Sarabia in Calapan, Mindoro, Philippines, the middle child of three siblings.  Yolanda graduated with an M.D. from Manila Central University in 1963, and she wed Saturnino B. Padua in June 1965.  They raised two children, Grace and Saturn.  The family immigrated to the United States in 1969, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Yolanda worked for Blue Cross/Blue Shield as a medical examiner while working on her medical certifications to practice in the U.S.

The family relocated to the Norman area in 1977, and Yolanda pursued a residency in Psychiatry at Central State Hospital, now Griffin Memorial Hospital.  Following her residency she practiced out-patient psychiatry for several community-based organizations for over thirty years.  She retired her practice in 2011.

Besides spending time with friends and family, she was an avid traveler, visiting many countries around the world.  She enjoyed entertaining, playing mah-jong, and was an expert at hunting down a good sale.  She also enjoyed dancing.  In recent years, she enjoyed line dancing at St Joseph's Catholic Church.  She was a fixture in the small but active Filipino community in the Oklahoma City Metro area.  Yolanda and her husband were one of the founding members of St Mark's The Evangelist Catholic Church, where she served as an Eucharistic Minister.  They were faithful parishioners until their deaths.

Yolanda was a strong independent woman, who was never afraid to face all the challenges that life brought her with a fighting spirit.  A devoted wife, fierce mother, loving grandmother and steadfast friend, she was preceded in death by her husband, Saturnino B. Padua Jr., M.D.  She is survived by daughter, Grace S. Padua; son, Saturn S. Padua; and grandson, William Asher Padua Freund.  She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

The family would like to express enduring thanks and appreciation to the doctors, nurses and staff of Grace Skilled Nursing & Therapy, Norman, Oklahoma.