Asuncion Santana, better known as “Beba,” “Tata” and “Mami,” lived a joyous and exuberant life from August 15, 1930, to September 23, 2021. She passed away at home as peacefully as she lived, surrounded by the love of family.
Born in Jovellanos, Cuba, Beba was raised on a farm with nine loving siblings and doting parents. At the age of 11, she was awarded a home economics scholarship to attend a boarding school run by Methodist missionaries in Matanzas. There, she met lifelong friends as well as the love of her life, Alberto H. Santana, M.D., whom she married in 1954 and who preceded her in death in 1994.
When she was 27 years old, she immigrated to the United States with her husband and their 2-year-old son. Soon thereafter, they settled for a few years in Chattanooga, Tenn., where she had two more sons while offering a home to family and friends who were fleeing Cuba’s communist regime. Following the relocation needs of her husband’s medical education and practice, she moved from Chattanooga, to Vicksburg, Miss., to West Virginia, to Atlanta (where her daughter was born), to LaFayette, Alabama, and most notably to Jacksonville. There, she raised her family and was an active and beloved member of her community for more than 35 years. Her home and heart were always open to family and friends in need, oftentimes for more than a year at a time.
She spent her final 10 years in Miami, laughing and exploring with her son, Peter, who cared for her attentively –- keeping her spirit strong with season tickets to the opera, encouraging connection with family and friends, and occasionally taking detours to find peacocks and count palm trees. She loved jigsaw puzzles, playing Canasta, family gatherings, travel, and flowers. Gardenias always reminded her of her own mother.
Beba was most known for her radiant smile, twinkling spirit, unwavering faith, generous heart, and gracious manner. Many say that she is the sweetest and kindest person they’ve ever met. Many are in awe of the strength she frequently exhibited in troubled times. All will miss her steadfast support and love, as well as the quiet joyfulness with which she filled every room she entered.
She found beauty in both the simple and the grand.
She is survived by four children: Alberto (Jeannie), Jorge (Debbie), Pedro and Grace; five grandchildren: Alexander (Rachael), Charles (Lenna), Christopher, Ramon and Claudia; and three great grand girls: Avery (2), Leah (2) and Ella (1). She is also survived by two of her nine siblings: Pedro (Norma) and Olga (Carlos), as well as many generations of nieces and nephews who love her dearly.
A visitation at Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home in Jacksonville, Florida, will take place from 6-8 p.m on Thursday, September 30. On Friday, October 1 at 10 a.m., a memorial service will be held at Southside United Methodist Church, followed immediately by interment at Oaklawn Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Beba’s memory to Move to Empower, a United Nations NGO and 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that Beba’s daughter helped to launch and manage. Serving communities in Kenya, India, Peru and Cambodia, M2E offers job skills via fitness certification/licensing to marginalized women seeking economic self-sufficiency in order to escape domestic abuse, sex trafficking and extreme poverty.
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