Santiago was born in Arizona in 1989. He grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and attended Rio Rancho High School. Shortly after graduating in 2007, Santiago joined the US Army as a Pharmacy Technician. In 2008, he was sent to Hohenfels, Germany, for his first assignment where he met his wife, Stephanie. In 2010, he was sent to Fort Hood, TX, where he was assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. Shortly after his arrival, he was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn.
Upon completion of his military service in 2012, he and his wife moved to Austin, Texas, and attended Austin Community College where he obtained a degree in Computer Information Technology. Santiago was proudly inducted into the Alpha Gamma Pi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, and was quickly recruited by MindShift Technologies. Santiago and his wife then moved to Ahwatukee, Arizona, in 2016. With every accomplishment he achieved his happiness grew, but nothing would amount to the happiness he felt when he was with his loved ones.
Santiago enjoyed traveling the world with his wife and speaking of his adventures abroad. His family was the most important aspect of his life and he treasured the time he had with them. He welcomed friends into his family, his friends turned into brothers and sisters, and their families became his own. He was known for his honest talks which made some people uncomfortable, but his truthfulness would bring light when we may not have wanted to hear it, which made his words what we needed to hear. He was always offering motivational words in a genuine attempt to see others succeed. He made those triumphs his own, celebrating along with others. His heart knew no envy and when anyone was going through a difficult moment in life, Santiago was always there with uplifting reminders and a good-humored talk session. He was an extrovert with a genuine spirit who would make friends want to follow him just to be around his contagious energy. His wife often referred to him as the welcome wagon, as he would go out of his way to make people feel welcomed and important. Santiago was a man of Christian faith, a self-described “Soldier of God.” His actions demonstrated the love that his faith had taught him.
He loved listening to all genres of music, played video games, watched Longhorns and Cardinals football games, attended random festivals, and he absolutely loved Texas (thanks to Shawn).
Santiago will forever be remembered by his best friend and wife of 10 years, Stephanie, his children Elyjah and Jaiden, his sisters Victoria and Elena, his brother Michael, his father Victor, his grandmother Julie, his mother-in-law Elvira and father-in-law Frank, his father-in-law Arnold, his sisters-in-law Jennifer and Bella, his brothers-in-law TJ, Arnold, Alexis, Orlando, and Omar with his five nieces and seven nephews. Additionally, he will be remembered by his brothers, Santiago, Cipriano, Elias, Tony, Shawn, Garhett, John, Josh, Michael, Will, Dan, Chris, Jaime, Joey, his sisters Lupe, Courtney, KJ, Latisha, Grace, and many other friends and family across the states and different countries.
“To see others succeed, makes me happy. When others do good, we all do good. One foot in front of the other, one day at a time, one dollar after the next. I see y’all and it makes me happy. Stay positive friends and fam.” - Santiago Rodriguez, via Facebook, August 15, 2019.
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