Verbena Santo

Verbena lived a life defined by quiet kindness, compassion, and unwavering devotion to every being she loved. She poured a remarkable amount of love into her family, her friends, and the animals she cared for every single day.

She tended a local cat colony with diligence and tenderness, rising before dawn to feed and watch over them. She opened her home to rescues that needed extra attention, sacrificing time and space without a second thought. While drawn to the intelligence of cats, she treated every living thing with the same tenderness. She was a dedicated vegan who never judged what was on anyone else’s plate.

She worked for many years as a travel agent, most recently at Blue Ribbon Travel in Stony Brook, a job that combined her love of helping people with her knack for understanding what made a trip meaningful. Her own curiosity was boundless; every conversation with her left you with a new place to visit, a fact to look up, or an idea worth exploring.

Her sudden passing leaves a profound sense of loss among her family, friends, and all who experienced her kindness. She is survived by her devoted brothers, Anthony Santo of Port Jefferson and Sal Santonastaso of Coxsackie, NY. She also leaves behind two Deborahs who may not have grown up in the same house but were sisters to her in every way: Debbie Santo of Port Jefferson, NY and Deb Santonastaso of Coxsackie, NY. Verbena cherished her nieces and nephews—Jesse Santonastaso, Anna Walker, Laurie Santo, and Douglas Santo—showering them with too many gifts long into their adulthood. She extended her generosity and contagious inquisitiveness to their children Colton, Wyatt, Suji, Ethan, Ben, Max, Russell and Colette. Her memory also lives on through great friends like Joe Rizza, and through the countless animals whose lives she brightened.

She will be deeply missed.

To honor Verbena’s memory, donations may be made in her name to:

Long Island Cat Kitten Solution

https://licatskittens.org/donate

Strong Island Animal Rescue League

https://strong-island-animal-rescue-league.myshopify.com/pages/donate-today