Aurora S. Badavi

The legacy of Dr. Aurora Santos Badavi extends far beyond her death. Aurora passed away on October 8, 2021 at the age of 71 after a brave, arduous fight against cancer. She was surrounded by her loving family, who will always be inspired by the impact she had on her community. Aurora Tamayo Santos was born to Epifanio and Ana Santos on July 23, 1950, the second of eleven children, in the province of Pangasinan in the Philippines. She graduated from medical school at the University of Santo Tomas in 1974 and later immigrated to the United States, where she met her husband, Francis Badavi. They connected over their shared love of travel and deep commitment to family, and in 1992 they had a beloved daughter, Mary Ann. The family moved to a house by the water in Suffolk, Virginia, and Aurora taught Mary Ann how to watch for the birds, fish, and sometimes even dolphins that lived on the river. Aurora worked as a pediatrician at the Peninsula Institute of Community Health for 25 years, where she cared for thousands of children in the Hampton Roads area. Even after her retirement in 2018, she was often stopped at the grocery store by former patients, who remembered her compassionate care, astute medical expertise, and genuine investment in their future. Aurora was a master in the kitchen, always working on perfecting a new recipe. An avid reader, she could start and finish reading a book over the course of a few hours. Her extended family spanned across the world, from California and Canada to Abu Dhabi and the Philippines, but she always made time to check in on her friends, siblings, and over forty nieces and nephews. She was a constant source of support, wisdom, and counsel to all who were lucky to know her, and she will be missed beyond measure. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer or to the Haiti Orphanage Fund of the Church of St. Thérèse.