Belma Requejo

Belma Santos Requejo, 85, of Long Beach, California, passed away peacefully at home on September 2, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

Belma was born on December 14, 1940, in Parañaque, Philippines, to Hidalgo and Andrea Santos. She grew up in the close-knit community of Parañaque, surrounded by her many siblings and a large extended family. Those early years helped shape the values that would define her life: faith, family, hard work, generosity, and an unwavering commitment to caring for others.

Belma graduated from Far Eastern University and began her professional life as a teacher. She later met and married the love of her life, Edgardo Requejo. Together, they embarked on a remarkable 64-year marriage, building a family that would become Belma’s greatest source of pride and joy. As their young family grew, they moved to the Bicol region of the Philippines, where they raised their children during their early years.

In 1981, Belma and Edgardo made the courageous decision to immigrate to the United States, settling in Long Beach, California. Like so many immigrant parents, they came in pursuit of greater opportunities and a better future for their children. Belma embraced that new chapter with determination and an extraordinary work ethic. While raising a large family, she worked full time in accounting and finance and later became a licensed real estate professional. As a Realtor, she brought together her business instincts, intelligence, and natural desire to help others, assisting many families in the community over the years.

Yet no professional accomplishment could compare with the role Belma treasured most—that of wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

Belma was the bedrock of her family and a presence that could never be overlooked. She was intelligent and strategic, passionate and spirited, business-minded and practical, loyal and trustworthy. She was also extraordinarily generous. She was a giver by nature, hospitable and welcoming, and the person family and friends knew they could call whenever they needed help.

She expressed her love not simply through words, but through action. She worked hard, sacrificed, planned, prayed, cooked, provided, encouraged, and made sure those she loved were cared for. She sacrificed so that her children could have opportunities she herself never had and taught them, by example, the importance of hard work, perseverance, responsibility, and looking after one another.

Her kitchen was one of the places where that love was most evident. A wonderful cook, Belma brought people together around food and family. Her hospitality, warmth, zest for life, and unmistakable personality made gatherings memorable and helped create traditions and memories that her family will carry forward.

Central to Belma’s life was her Catholic faith. She was devoted to her Church and lived her faith with constancy and conviction. She prayed daily, placed her trust in God, and passed that faith on to her family. Her faith sustained her throughout her life and remained an important source of strength and comfort until the end.

Belma is survived by her beloved husband of 64 years, Edgardo Requejo; their six children and their families: Karl Requejo and his wife, Cheryle; Rommel Requejo and his wife, Sonja; Erik Requejo and his wife, Christie; Philip Requejo and his wife, Tricia; Edgar Requejo; and Maria Requejo. She also leaves behind 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, each of whom carries a part of the remarkable family legacy she and Edgardo created together.

Belma lived a full and vibrant life in Long Beach and remained deeply engaged with her family and community through her final years. Those who knew her will remember a woman of strength and conviction, deep faith and generosity, tremendous love for her family, and an enduring willingness to help others.

Her passing leaves an absence that cannot easily be filled, but her influence remains everywhere—in her children and grandchildren, in the family traditions she created, in the people she helped, in the lessons she taught, and in the faith and values she passed from one generation to the next.

Her greatest legacy cannot be measured by the years she lived, but by the family she built, the people she cared for, the values she passed on, and the love that will continue through generations.

Arrangements are under the care of Forest Lawn in Long Beach, California.