Lee Belarmino Sr., aged 78, of Acampo, California, passed away on April 30, 2026 at his home. He was born January 12, 1948 in Sacramento, California. Lee is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Margaret, and their children, Sarah, Lee Jr., Andy, and Joshua. He leaves a wide extended family, including siblings Tony Belarmino, Elizabeth Shrum, Daniel Belarmino, Aurora Belarmino, Steven Belarmino, Joseph Belarmino, Kimberly Farrington, and Roger Broadway, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Andres Castaneda Belarmino, mother, Ruth Helen Lydston, sister Rebecca Frederick, and grandson Andy Jr.
Lee will be remembered most dearly by his loving grandchildren, Christopher, Nathaniel, Philip, and Joshua Belarmino, Jr., Katharine Camp, Madeleine Cole, Alexandria Lubcyik, and Belle Belarmino, all of whom will have great stories to share with his great-grandchildren Brenna Lubcyik, Ada and Anders Belarmino, Virginia Cole, and Evelyn Camp.
As the son of a Filipino immigrant and two generations of Sakadas (Filipino migrant workers in Hawaii), he was a proud member of several Filipino-American professional organizations, and enjoyed attending Asian American and Pacific Islander events and conferences. In his later years, he was able to discover the other side of his family history, and was pleased to become a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, an association he took great pride in, as a man who loved his country as he loved God and his family.
Lee was the epitome of the self-made man. He was forced to grow up quickly; his father died at a young age, leaving behind eleven-year-old Lee and several even younger siblings. He never shied away from hard work, taking on whatever jobs he had to do in support of his family. His work ethic, attitude, and high intelligence soon brought him to the attention of people in the technology industry, and before the age of 40, he was Vice
president of a Silicon Valley data management services company. He loved technology and was always to be found carrying the newest computer or iPad or iPhone.
Lee made a big decision to leave his position in 1986 to pursue his dream of living in the country, taking a job at San Joaquin Delta college, where he started out as an IT manager and moved his way up to Vice-President of Information Technology. As his role grew, he also became Vice President for Technology for the Foundation of California Community Colleges and administrator of a multi-million dollar bond. By the time he retired, he had ushered not just his school, but colleges and universities across the country into a new era of technology that brought him industry-wide acclaim as “a top visionary in community and open source development in higher education.” The apex of his career came with dedication in 2011 of the Lee Belarmino Sr. District Data
Center on the campus where he had given 23 years of service, coincidentally enough, built on land where he had once picked lettuce as a young man.
Lee will be remembered for his transformational leadership – he always had a hand out to help someone else up the ladder, and impacted thousands of lives over the course of his career. But though hailed as a visionary, his work was not his true vision.
Lee had many passions over the course of his life, golf and fishing being high on the list. Soon after his retirement, he sadly suffered a stroke which made these hobbies difficult to pursue. With the courage and determination that had brought him through every challenge in his life, he turned to the enrichment of his already brilliant mind. An autodidact, he immersed himself in the studies of art and history, and was rarely to be seen without his headphones on, listening to an audio book on any and all subjects that struck his fancy. Lee also enjoyed the arts and fostered a love for music, the theater and museums in his children and grandchildren.
He was passionate about sports and was a natural athlete. As a young man, he was an avid softball player, often playing in three different leagues at the same time. Ahead of his time, he even installed a pickle-ball court in his backyard, 40 years before the sport would become a national phenomenon. He loved his teams, and looked forward to spending time every week watching his beloved Warriors with his family. His dream was to be a “gentleman farmer,” and though his ten acres didn’t produce a lot in the way of fruit or grain, his vision included a manmade fishing pond, driving range, and pool, all of which yielded him his best crop – the grandchildren who couldn’t wait to spend time on Grandpa and Grandma’s farm each year.
Lee was the kind of person who drew others to him without effort. With his intelligence, wit, charm, and infectious laugh, he made friends everywhere he went, and anyone who spent time talking with him went away with a lighter heart and a good story to pass on. The hours he spent with his children, grandchildren, and beloved Margaret sitting on the back porch re-telling old family jokes will be among the family’s most treasured memories.
Of all the titles Lee held in life - loving husband, devoted father, supportive brother, loyal friend, brilliant thinker, gifted leader - the one that meant the most to him was the title of faithful Christian. A follower of Christ his whole life, we take comfort in the fact that he has gone home to the Lord, where he is no doubt running the bases, shaking hands with Tom Petty and John Adams, and perhaps hitting a few holes-in-one.
For anyone who would like to attend, a celebration of life is planned for May 23 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Real Life Church, 550 Industrial Drive, Suite 100, in Galt. Attendees are invited to bring photos and/or share memories.
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Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Belarmino family.
