Beulah Estabillo deVera-Schmitz

Beulah Estabillo deVera-Schmitz was a force of nature ­— an unpretentious combination of brains, charm and beauty, and a trailblazer within the field of architecture in both the Philippines and New York City. She was a mother and spouse with no peer.

Beulah, 74, died of complications of ALS, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, at home in Singapore.

She was born Dec. 21, 1948, in Tayug, Pangasinan, Philippines, to Julian and Candida Estabillo deVera, a former land reform commissioner and human rights lawyer and a public-school teacher, respectively.

“Beuls,” as her friends liked to call her, was one of three women trained in the initial class of 45 in architecture. She obtained both a bachelor of science degree in architecture and a master’s degree of art in urban and regional planning from the University of the Philippines Diliman (UP Diliman). She did further studies in New York at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and at New York University.

On Oct. 13, 1980, she married Robert Schmitz, the son of Donald and Mary Margaret Schmitz of Belgium, Wis. Beulah met Robert in Baguio City, Philippines, when he served in the Peace Corps.   

Subsequently, on June 13, 1981, they had an ecumenical Christian service at St. Nicholas Church in Dacada, Random Lake. The couple lived in New York City for 18 years, followed by 26 years in Singapore.

Mrs. deVera-Schmitz was an accomplished architect and urban planner. After she graduated from UP Diliman, she passed the Philippine architecture board exams and had a private architectural practice. During that period, Beulah was the first admitted female partner of the preeminent architecture firm Felipe M. Mendoza.

Subsequently, Beulah joined the executive ranks of the National Housing Authority (NHA) in the Philippines at the age of 28. At the NHA, she was responsible for town planning and housing in Davao, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, as well as parts of Manila.

Shortly after joining Robert in New York City, she completed her further studies and obtained her architectural licensure in New York State. Several commercial and educational projects in New York City with her signature include the Ralph Lauren Corp. headquarters and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School of the Performing Arts.

After moving to Singapore in 1998, she focused on raising her twin daughters but also consulted on various renovation projects, including the Singapore American School and the American Club of Singapore.

Beulah was an engaging, immensely warm and witty individual with numerous circles of friends in the Philippines, Singapore and New York. She loved fiercely and kept in touch for more than 60 years with elementary, high school and university classmates, with whom she attended class reunions and group trips across the world together.

She was a lover of food and photography, taking over 139,000 photos and videos, and often went on photography expeditions across the world. With her family and friends, she travelled to over 50 countries across five continents.

Mrs. deVera-Schmitz is survived by her husband Robert Schmitz of Singapore and her daughters Michelle Morgan deVera Schmitz and Nicole Sophia deVera Schmitz, both in Atlanta, Ga.

She is further survived by her sisters Grace Victoria De Vera Fontanilla, Lorna Candida De Vera Owens, Velma Veronica De Vera Villar and Adora Faye De Vera, brothers Julian Prospero E. De Vera III, Elias Florencio De Vera and David Benjamin De Vera, as well as her brothers-in-law Thomas (Nancy) Schmitz and Dennis (Janet) Schmitz and her sister-in-law Judith Schmitz (Mike) Reiter.

She was preceded in death by her son Julian Enrique “Bolink” De Vera, her father Julian Ulanday De Vera, her mother Candida Estabillo De Vera and her brother Julian Dalmacio De Vera.