Poe was born in
San Carlos City, Pangasinan, and later had six children by his second wife, Elizabeth "Bessie" Gatbonton Kelley (November 8, 1918 – March 2, 1999) of
Pampanga: Elizabeth (Liz),
Ronald Allan (Ronnie or FPJ),
Fernando Jr. (Andy), Genevieve (Jenny), Fredrick (Freddieboy), and Evangeline (Eva). Poe and Kelly were married in 1940 after their first two children were born. Actor
Conrad Poe (CP), meanwhile, was his illegitimate son by actress Patricia Mijares. ) The original spelling of his surname was Pou () via his father, playwright Lorenzo Pou, a
Catalan immigrant from
Mallorca in the
Balearic Islands. Pou established a mining business in the Philippines and married a
Pangasinense woman named Marta Reyes.
Military career Unfortunately,
World War II intervened. Twelve days after the war officially started in the Philippines, Poe Sr., who was a member of the Reserve Officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, was called to active duty on December 20, 1941, as 1st Lieutenant. His first assignment was as assistant Provost Marshall of the 59th Provisionary Brigade under Gen. Simeon de Jesus, from December 1941 to January 1942. He rose to become a Platoon Leader, then the Morale Officer of the Lamao Combat Team Regiment. He saw action in Bataan—where he saved residents from a house bombed by the Japanese, carrying children and the wounded to safety. He stayed in his position till Bataan fell on April 9, 1942. With the surrender of the American-Filipino forces, Lt. Poe Sr. joined the dreaded
Bataan Death March. He secretly joined the Panay Guerrillas under Col.
Macario Peralta Jr. He became an undercover man of the Llanes Intelligence and Information Corps. These, he revealed, during his inquisition by the post-war Loyalty Status Board. He rose to become a captain, but there came a point when he had to leave his military career. ==Personal life==