Isabelita "Bel" Jader Lilligren

Bel was born in Sariaya, Quezon, Philippines on July 2, 1950 to Beato and Floridad Jader. In 1969, she completed her B.S. in Elementary Education at Luzonian University in Lucena City, Quezon. As a teacher, she specialized in Home Economics at a local school in her hometown.

In 1980, while visiting relatives in San Diego she met her future husband, Dave. They were married on June 26, 1982, in Ham Lake, MN. While pregnant with their first child, Dave and Bel moved to Chicago in the summer of 1983. After completing his studies in Chicago, Dave and Bel remained in that city until 1995, serving at a local church during that time. While in Chicago, Josiah was born in September 1983, and daughter Hannah was born in January of 1985.

In addition to being a wonderful wife and mother, Bel was able to devote herself to homeschooling Josiah and Hannah until both had completed the 8th grade. She also supplemented the family’s income by making and selling specialty Filipino baked goods.

In 1995, the Lilligren family moved back to Dave’s home state of Minnesota and they lived in New Brighton for 2 years. In the summer of 1998, they moved to the farm near Sandstone that would be Bel’s home for the next 26 years.

Bel loved living on the farm and worked diligently to improve its appearance. She planted several beautiful flower gardens around the farm. Sometimes passersby would slow their cars down, just to be able to take a better look at her flowers. (She certainly had a green thumb.) She filled her home with many potted plants as well.

Together, Dave and Bel raised several thousand pastured chickens over the years, grassfed beef cattle, and pastured hogs. Bel became an expert at processing chickens, and her skills at doing so were well known to the locals.

Bel also worked off of the farm as a substitute teacher in three of the local elementary schools. She then worked for 12 years as a server at the Hinckley Grand Buffet, making lifelong friends with both co-workers and customers.

Bel was well known as an amazing cook and baker. Perhaps what made her culinary creations so wonderful was her secret ingredient – love. Her ability to plan and prepare for many parties and feasts amazed all who knew her. Her husband used to call her the “Filipino Martha Stewart.”

Bel is remembered by many as a master of various word games. She loved to play Scrabble online almost daily, and she rarely lost the games she played.

Bel personified love in action. She had no enemies and was adored by many. She always gave more thought to others (especially her family) than to herself. Her cheery disposition lit up the room, as she would always be the “Bel” of the ball. Through the many hospital and clinical visits, she would encourage the medical staff she encountered with her positive attitude.

Bel loved the Lord in whose presence she now dwells, and preached Christ in this life by the way she lived. Her favorite verse from Scripture was Matthew 6:33: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Throughout her late life, Bel experienced several health problems, starting with open-heart surgery in 2014 and then suffering a nearly fatal stroke in 2019. While recovering from her stroke, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung Cancer (although she never once smoked). After successfully treating Bel’s lung cancer, it unfortunately metastasized and spread to other parts of her body. With the help of new treatments, she was able to live with her Stage 4 cancer until her death. It was a rare disorder of her heart that eventually took her away from us.

Bel will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 42 years and her children: Josiah Lilligren (Whitney Beck) of Minneapolis, and Hannah Lilligren (Ivan Leyva) of Minneapolis. Bel was blessed to live long enough to welcome into the world her precious granddaughter, Linnea Belle Leyva in June of 2023. She will also be remembered by her siblings, Buenbeato Jader of Chicago, Luz Macolor of Orlando, Marciano Jader of Manila, Philippines, Marianita Shilhavy of Visalia, CA and Marieta Jader-Onate of Lucena, Quezon, Philippines. She had many nieces and nephews and in-laws who also adoringly remember her.

Bel is preceded in death by her mother and father Beato and Floridad Jader, her sisters Zeneida Relativo and Rosina Audine, and her father and mother-in-law Chuck and Marge Lilligren.

The family wants to express our gratitude to the staff and doctors at the Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center who took such compassionate care of Bel during all her health challenges over the past five years. The various medical teams who cared for her during these struggles were the best.

Visitation will take place on Wednesday, October 23rd, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Sunset Funeral Home at 2250 St. Anthony Blvd. NE in St. Anthony, MN. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 24, 2024, with a viewing at 9:30 a.m. Burial will be at the Sunset Memorial Cemetery following the service.