Cecelia Marie Santiago

Cecelia deeply loved her family and loved gathering together with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was highly honored and respected by her 8 children (and 5 spouses), a proud grandmother of 14 (and their 5 spouses) and a cherished great-grand mother of 8 (and 5 additional great-grand children who joined the family through marriage) all who adored her!

Cecelia lived her life with respect and dignity and an incredible amount of faith. She was unshakable in her trust of God. She loved going to church every Sunday morning and could not wait to gather with her friends to worship her Lord.

She was an awesome hostess and her hospitality superseded. She loved entertaining family and friends as well and never wanted anyone to leave her home without a coffee, “sweets”, or a complete meal.

Cecelia’s life was always was devoted to caring for people, it was her calling in life, she was given the responsibility of caretaking beginning after high school graduation and continuing until her last breath. She started a nursing career at Penn Rose Hospital in Colorado Springs, and then continued her education in San Francisco at SF General, eventually assisting with delivering babies at Alameda Hospital and lastly she ended her career at St. Luke’s Hospital where she retired after supervised the nursing staff. Cecelia was a respected nurse and neighbors would bring their sick children to her door step for advice as well as adults (family and friends) who would seek her professional advice.

Cecelia’s highest calling would eventually be in her home where she was the caretaker of her husband Pete, her son Chris, and daughter Vivian all who suffer from Muscular Dystrophy. Her labor of love sadly ended in March of 2002 for her husband, Peter, in February 2007 for her son Chris and between both those deaths the devastating passing of her beloved son John from cancer in 2006.

Her losses of loved ones continued, and she would heart deeply for their families and even in her own grieving never forgot to pray for those in mourning – it was her ritual every night of Bible reading and praying and during the day she continuously read her devotions which she loved and would call you if she thought the devotion of the day pertained to you!

You can almost describe my mom as a modern day “Job” enduring hardship, sorrow, and pain, yet still believing that there were others that where suffering more than she and thankful that “God’s grace would see her through, because He is so good”. It was amazing to see how strong she was and true blessing to those whose lives she touched.

It was 2008 that Cecelia began her own journey of physical suffering. Cecelia fought a good fight and with her beloved sister Ella, her children and grandchildren at her side her cousin Norman Roman prayed the prayer that would led her into paradise as he laid his hand on her forehead and said “Cecelia you have to be ready to go, are you ready to go to paradise?” She opened her eyes wide and shook her head yes…she was ready to go and at 7:10 am on Saturday, February 12, 2011 she peacefully and quietly went from this earthly life to paradise.