Lourdes Roquim Burgos

Lourdes Teresita Roquim was born in Palupandan, Negros Occidental, Philippines the third child to Sergeant Timoteo (WWII) and Josefina Roquim. Although her father would not return from the war, she spent a cherished childhood in the Philippines with her siblings. Her father’s sacrifice afforded her the opportunity to attend college.

Lourdes graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, Philippines. Her eldest daughter, Aileen, was born in Manila in 1962.

Though difficult, she courageously and ambitiously left her family in the Philippines and immigrated to Chicago, Illinois to begin a career as a clinical technologist. She met her husband, Eusebio, and had three daughters before his career as a civil engineer transferred them to Houston in 1979. In Houston, Lourdes worked at The Methodist Hospital in the Endocrine Lab for thirteen years.

Lourdes’ faith, family and friends were of the utmost importance to her. She always put other people’s needs before her own. Her warm, loving, and gregarious personality made her unique and special. She made friends easily and many became an extended part of her family. She loved cooking, gardening, bowling, listening to music and dancing. She also enjoyed playing Scrabble and watching her favorite game shows, The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune. She acquired a love of baseball rooting for the Chicago Cubs and became a devoted Houston Astros fan after moving to Houston. Rarely missing an Astros game, she watched all televised games or listened to games on the radio, if they weren’t televised.

As she defied cancer in 1990 and 2005, in the last months of her life she amazed us with her fighting spirit. She encountered many life-threatening medical adversities, but was able to fight her way through multiple setbacks to the astonishment of her doctors and medical staff.

Lourdes was kind and compassionate to everyone she met. After 34 years of marriage, her husband Eusebio P. Burgos died in 2002. She is preceded in death by her brothers Timoteo L. Roquim, Sr. and Ernesto Roquim. She will be missed by all of her surviving relatives, including her siblings in the Philippines; Martin Roquim, Esther Papio, Jose Roquim, Elizabeth Petilla, Ruby Manalo and Eduardo Tagle. In addition, her four daughters of Houston, Aileen White, Christina Burgos and her partner Lisa Waskom, Maria Sobremesana and her husband Gino Sobremesana, and Rachel Parten and her husband Greg Parten. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Stefani and Danyelle White; David, Sean and Sara Sobremesana; Ian, Alex and Owen Parten.