Servando P. de Belen's Obituary
1.29.19: Servando de Belen’s Obituary for Sunset Lawn Chapel of the Chimes
Chasing the “American Dream” with dogged self-determination; Servando (Van) lived a full life. He fought a long-battle with COPD despite never being a smoker. As he took his final breath; he was surrounded by his wife, Warlita (Warly), daughters, Christine and Carolyn, and granddaughters, Deya, Kaela, Nya, and Mia. They held his hands as he made his journey to be with our Heavenly Father.
Van left the Philippines in 1971 to be with his true love, Warly, where they lived in Canada and finally to America. He worked as a business analyst at the Bank of Montreal in Canada and in California; he worked in the heart of Silicon Valley in the early 1980s in various roles. Always in pursuit of the “Dream”, he attempted several business ventures that stubbornly wouldn’t take off. However, in his two daughters; it was where Van took pride and defined his success as a loving father always guiding them through the challenges of life’s journey.
He was known for his scrumptious Filipino meals, always offering food to those who came to his home. He stumped his poker mates and kept the competition up in his bowling matches. Always the social butterfly, he not only was great in bowling and poker; he loved playing mah jong at the community Club House in his neighborhood. His granddaughters knew him best as someone who made home-made tools, including their toy-wagon that he’d pull in his backyard garden where they’d pick off fresh eggplant and tomatoes. His sense of style and smoldering singing voice was admired and never-failing. Lastly, Van’s curiosity about the people he just met, defined the jubilant connections he always made and added to the expansive list of friends.
Van will be missed by his wife Warly, who has been by his side, “through sickness and in health” for 47 years, his two daughters, Christine & Carolyn who have been inspired by his fearlessness in overcoming barriers, his granddaughters, Deya, Kaela, Nya, and Mia who cherished his songs to them, and his sons-in-law, Gerard and Mark, who aspired to be like him.
Whole-hearted gratitude is given to the Snowline Home Based Palliative Care & Hospice team https://snowlinehospice.org/ who provided constant nurturing and healing support not only to Van, but to his family.
Memorial Service will be held to celebrate Van’s life at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church http://www.stmarksumc.com/ on February 23rd, 2019 from 11am – 3pm: 2391 St. Marks Way Sacramento, CA 95864
Links to learn more about how Home-Based Palliative Care helped Van and his family:
Watch “How home-based palliative care changed everything for this California family” on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pFsdD-0MIFI
Read Palliative care is an effective way to help patients cope with illness | The Sacramento Bee:
https://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article213706719.html
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