Anna Bettina Concepcion

It was once said that, “It is not the length of life that matters; it is the depth of life that we should hold most important.” Anna Bettina David Concepcion, known by many nicknames, but better known as Bet Bet or Tina to her loved ones, epitomizes this very quote. Though her life was brief, cut short at the age of 47, the journey she took as a hopeful child in the Philippines to the mother of two beautiful children in the United States was as fulfilling as any life can possibly be.

Tina was born on November 11 in Quezon City, Philippines, making her the youngest of three children reared by Milagros Castillo and Alfredo David Jr. She died Friday, April 2, 2010, in Los Angeles as a result of a respiratory disease.

She grew up in Broadway, Quezon City, often enjoying and cherishing time with dear friends and her two older siblings, Bernard "Tony" David and Angelic "Wabey" Keyser. She attended high school and graduated college with a Marketing Degree at nearby St. Paul College. There she was well-known, well-loved and very sociable. It was her warm demeanor and love of family that attracted many suitors as a young adult, but it was ultimately a man named Chris Concepcion that captured her heart. They dated for several years before agreeing to marry on April 5.

One year later, she gave birth to her first child, Anna Katrina "Ina" Concepcion. It was one of her most favorite days and loved recalling it to Ina. "When everyone was upstairs asleep, we would always have late nights, watching television and catching up on our days,” says Ina, “And a lot of these late nights were spent gossiping, talking and telling stories. The one story that I loved hearing about was when she gave birth to me; how she took a bus when she was in labor, and how we were stuck in the hospital for almost a week because she was too sick to leave. She said she became very frustrated because all she really wanted to do was hold me in her arms.”

The year 1988 also marked the first year Tina moved to the United States. She lived with Chris and Ina in a small apartment in Carson, California. This is where the couple began aspiring for a better life for their child and themselves, trying hard to live the “American Dream.” It wasn’t long after that they also expanded their family.

Tina gave birth to her second child, Kristine Anne Concepcion, on June 26. Although she knew it wouldn’t be easy, Tina always emphasized that raising Krissy was more than she bargained for. “I wasn’t a nice baby,” says Krissy, “Mom loved telling me stories about different occasions when I wouldn’t let my uncles, aunts, grandparents, even my own sister carry me. The only person I would like being around, the only person I let carry me, the only person I wanted to hold, the only person that brought out my smile was my mom,” a special bond between mother and daughter that holds true to this day.

Around the turn of the century, the family moved to a home in Corona, California. They established a loving household, and Tina was the heart of the family. She worked for awhile, but ultimately sacrificed her career to be a loving mother and wife at home. She would be the one to take care of everyone and everything in the house, which included being an adoring and supporting wife to Chris, bringing comfort and valuable advice to Ina, as well as nurturing a young Krissy, showing never-ending support for every performance, rehearsal, and fundraiser, even providing her with her “most favorite present ever,” Krissy’s long-time pet and companion, Jumper.

For fun, Tina enjoyed shopping as her favorite pastime. She liked doing daily crossword puzzles, sudoku, and cooking delicious Filipino food, which her family loved. She was known to be fascinated and interested in feng shui, and always researched ways to bring about good luck and fortune to herself, her family and her loved ones. Whenever she got the chance, she loved getting in touch with friends and driving down to Las Vegas. But her ultimate joy was spending time with family. She loved the thought of being with her daughters and husband at every moment.

Chris reminisces, "She really was the sweetest person. Everyone who met her loved her. Not only did she have her friends, but all my friends also became her friends. I remember at first she was not too happy with me when I brought home a motorcycle, but in time she came to support me. And as she met Pinoy Harley and the people I rode with, she became friends with them too!"

One of their daughters' favorite moments as a family were at every holiday, specifically when there were gifts being passed out. Chris and Tina made it a tradition to never write each other’s real names on the “To:” section of the “To/From” label; instead they wrote nicknames for each other that always seemed to change for every gift. Yet everyone knew whom the gifts were from and whom they were for. It was this loving and cheerful connection that made the family extremely close and provided a great sense of role model for their daughters.

It was also a testament to Tina’s personality. During her life, Tina always stressed the importance of family, which is why her real life lives through those closest to her: Chris, Katrina, and Krissy. They are a reflection of who Tina really was and how she lived her life: self-sacrificing, good-natured, and devoted. Ina says, "What people need to understand about her is that she's the kind of person you can be around all the time. You never get tired of her because she is so loving, funny and happy. As well as beautiful to say the least. She was the most beautiful person I knew, inside and out. What makes the loss so hard to me, Krissy and Dad is that she was not just a mother and wife; she was all our best friend." Like the quote said, “It is not the length of life that matters; it is the depth of life that we should hold most important.” She will be missed dearly.