Ermelinda Borjal Belle

I wanted to remember our mother, Ermelinda, in a great way and celebrate the wonderful life that she lived. But now, in my later years and as the daughter reminiscing, it overwhelms me to capture the special memories about her and the wealth of wisdom that we learned from her, simply because there are so many.

She was a person known for her amazing spirit, generosity and welcoming smile.

Mom was born on November 16, 1935 in La Paz, Abra, the fourth daughter of Marta and Arsenio Borjal. Her sisters Estela, Febe, Amelia, Lily and her only brother Art, preceded her in death, as well as her only son, Judeus “Joey” Tabbada in 2023.

She is survived by her daughters Carrie Yates and Diana Tabbada, her only grandson, Eric Myles Yates, granddaughter-in-law Erin and great granddaughters Sophia and Ella.

She attended high school at the University of Santo Tomas and graduated from the University of the East with a BA degree in Accounting. She earned her CPA degree from Trinity College. Mom began her career at the Bureau of Internal Revenue as Checker and was promoted to Tax Registrar during her 21 years of service with the bureau.

She officially retired in November, 1973 to follow her dream of migrating to the United States. Her work experience landed her a job at the New York Diagnostic Center in 1972, starting as an accountant and moving up to become the Vice President of Operations for the six diagnostic centers located in different parts of New York City and Long Island.

She retired in 1995 and moved to Spring Hill, Florida with her husband Alfred Belle.

Mom was known to be the ultimate party planner. Growing up in the Philippines, we remember her celebrating ‘everything’. Holidays, weekend mahjong sessions, community events and always the annual family trips, which included all the aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family members, were the norm. If you came to the house unannounced, you would, without doubt, be sure to be entertained and offered refreshment. She hardly cooked, but hosted the most memorable parties because family gatherings unfailingly brought her immense joy.

She would start the Christmas holiday months early, wrapping presents for each of her co-workers. Our home was dressed to the nines with yuletide gear and the Christmas tree piled with gifts for her numerous godchildren.

She enjoyed doing crafts, especially crochet, and she and Lady Luck were good friends, hence her interest in playing cards, mahjong, horse racing, jai alai and the like. She loved to dance and sing and played the piano.

Her lively spirit never waned, even in the US. She and Al savored their retirement years by creating their own adventures together, working on their home and garden, playing golf, spending time with their friends at their weekly happy hour socials and just traveling all over the country and overseas.

Her "me" time included crosswords, Scrabble, reading, watching sports games and frequently visiting the salon for relaxing mani-pedis, hair treatments and massages. Hard to believe that despite these opportunities to be dolled up, she very rarely used make up.

In the early morning of April 13, 2025, we lost our beloved mother to Parkinson’s Disease. But what a great blessing it was that she left the earth on Palm Sunday to join the angels in heaven!

Her luminous energy and vivacious spirit will definitely live on through the memories and moments we shared with her. And these will never be forgotten. She will indeed be missed by all who love her, our mother, Ermelinda.