Julia "Judy" White Santos

Nearly 3 years after her diagnosis, Julia’s battle against breast cancer came to an end on August 4, 2015. She was only 49 years old. She is survived by her husband of almost 23 years Hernan, her sons Antonio and Bo, daughter Eliana, mother Julia, and six brothers - David, Leslie, Philip, Paul, Andrew and Sam, along with numerous in-laws, nieces, and nephews.

Julia White Santos was born in Texas in 1965 to her parents Robert and Julia White. Known as Judy to her longtime friends and family, she was the favorite (and only) sister to her 4 older and 2 younger brothers. She grew up in Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma where she developed her love for the outdoors. After high school she moved to Claremont, CA to attend Scripps College. There she met many lifelong friends including her beloved soulmate and BFF Hernan Santos. After 5 years of mostly long distance dating, they married. They lived in the San Jose area for 5 years before moving to San Diego. There they started their family and made their home in Chula Vista.

Julia was always a fun-loving adventurous soul that wanted everything out of life. Travels took her to the jungles of Guam and Borneo, a hurricane in Hawaii, the hills of Tuscany, castles in England, the beaches of California, and most recently Joshua Tree and the Grand Canyon. She learned to windsurf and bodyboard, saw the Summer Olympics and met 200 of her in-laws in Manila. Thanks to Julia, there have been many block parties in her neighborhood along with an annual Easter Egg Hunt. While she may not have been able to keep in contact as much as she would have liked, it did not diminish the warmth she shared with those who knew her.

She was very intelligent, artistic and creative. Julia was blessed with a beautiful voice and grew up singing in her church and various youth groups. She won numerous awards and was able to travel to Mexico to sing. While at Scripps College she received a BA in Vocal Music. Instead of becoming a starving artist she spent many years working in Environmental, Health and Safety. Julia was an avid photographer and also dabbled in knitting, beading, and doodling. She had an unbeatable attention to detail and worked hard to get everything perfect. When it came to stopping to smell the roses, Julia looked for ALL of the roses she could find.

Family always came first for Julia. Her three children meant the world to her. As a result she applied her talents by volunteering regularly at their schools. She was the artistic director for the annual school variety show for many years. She also actively volunteered for many PTA and class events. Her legacy lives on in all three children who continue to develop their musical talents.

She will be dearly missed by all who knew her, especially her family and close friends. We take comfort in knowing that she is in a better place where cancer can no longer hurt her.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to two organizations close to Julia’s heart:

www.campkesem.org/ucsd - Camp Kesem UCSD is a free summer camp run by UCSD students for kids whose parent(s) have been affected by cancer

www.clubbluebvhs.org – Club Blue is the marching band / concert band for Bonita Vista High School