Sebastine "Sabie" Romero
1922 – 2022
Sebastine
“Sabie” Torres Romero, age 100, a resident of Albuquerque, NM, died peacefully in her sleep in the early morning hours on Thursday, May 26, 2022, with her eldest daughter and her granddaughter by her side. She was a true daughter of Belen, NM, born there on February 24, 1922. In 1940, Sabie married Albino “Bing” Romero. They
bought a home on Jarales Road down the street from her parents, Juan and Maria Torres. There, Sabie had four children, Frances, Regina, Daniel, and Margaret. In 1972, they bought her “dream home” on 4th Street in Belen, where she lived with Bing until his passing in 2006. Sabie only moved out of that home in April 2021 to her daughter’s home in Albuquerque, and only after lots of encouragement from her family. She was a Charter Member (1944) of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas at Our Lady of Belen Catholic Church. Sabie was active in the organization for more than 75 years, and she was honored as the last living Charter Member by Catholic Daughters at Our Lady of Belen in 2019 at their 75th Anniversary Celebration. Sabie worked for Public Service Company of New Mexico in Belen for 26 years. She represented Public Service as the center of the Public Service float in the Belen 4th of July parade. She often bought handmade jewelry from Native Americans who would bring their jewelry to her office for sale to help them pay their energy bills. She would then spoil her grandchildren with the jewelry she bought. Sabie also worked for Trembly Jewelry in Belen for 4 years after retiring from Public Service Company. She and Bing were charter members of the Horizon Country Club in Belen often playing golf or bingo and enjoying dinner and drinks with friends. Her neighbors will remember her as a Belen bowling champion who loved to bowl and travel for tournaments, and as the woman with a standing hair appointment every week. Sabie was heartbroken at the premature loss of her daughter Regina in 1998, but she relished watching Regina’s children succeed and be happy in life.
She is survived by three of her four children, Frances Woods, Daniel Romero, and Margaret Triano; grandchildren, Jacqueline and John L. Vinaccia, Lisa Epp, Tracey Woods, Melissa and Gary Triano, Juan and Geoff Romero, Gina Hemstreet, and Cynthia; great grandchildren, Stephanie Epp, Michael Boechner, Alexandra and Nicole Celi, Anthony La Scala, Jacob Gulley, Camden and Holland Walsh, Graciela, Isabella, and Riggins Hemstreet, and Nicholas Vinaccia; and great-great granddaughter, Hayden Stump. Services for Sabie were held on Wednesday June 1, 2022 at Our Lady of Belen Catholic Church with Interment following at Our Lady of Belen Memorial Gardens where Sabie was laid to rest next to her husband, Bing.
Dubbed the Latina Betty White by her granddaughter, Sabie was known for her strength and tenacity, and will be deeply missed by her family and friends. Please sign Sabie’s online tribute at www.romerofuneralhomenm.com Romero Funeral Home, 609 N. Main St., Belen, NM.