Diego & Helene Santia

Helene Dorothy Santia, 78, of Fontana, CA, passed away at home surrounded by her loving family on November 6, 2020.

Diego Santia, 83, of Fontana, CA, followed the love of his life and passed away at home surrounded by loving family members on December 28, 2020.

A rosary service and funeral mass for Diego and Helene will be held on January 21st with Father Charles officiating at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Claremont; 435 Berkeley Ave. The couple will be laid to rest in a private family ceremony at Bellevue Cemetery in Ontario, CA.

Helene was born in Syracuse, NY on May 20, 1942. Diego was born in Supino, Italy on June 10, 1937. They met in California when a mutual friend set them up on a blind date. The two fell in love and were married on March 29, 1965. They spent most of their lives together living in Claremont, CA and raising their four children: Gino, Angela, AnnaMaria and Teresa, as very active community members. They were self-employed restaurateurs of Antonio’s Italian Restaurant in Ontario, CA with Diego’s brothers and wives, Tony and Elda and Sid and Lia, for over 25 years.

The two volunteered their time and talent hosting countless spaghetti dinner fundraisers for the Italian Catholic Federation, OLA church and school, and running pizza and sausage and pepper booths at the OLA School annual Fiesta for over 40 years. They also supported their son by feeding the Damien High School Football team each Friday from 1979-1983 and then their grandson feeding the Claremont High School Football team each Friday from 2003-2007.

Their family was the most important thing in their lives and attended every sporting event and performance for their children and grandchildren. The devotion they each had for their family was incomparable.

Diego and Helene were role models to all who new and loved them with their unwavering generosity, life stories of adversity illustrating great tenacity, and a love story of over 56 years so beautiful it is a model worthy of imitation.

Diego and Helene Santia are survived by their four children: Gino and Julie Santia, Angela Santia-Sonnentag, AnnaMaria Santia, and Teresa and Bill Pope; Brothers: Tony and Elda Santia, Sid and Lia Santia, and Rocco and Annette Tedesco; and Grandchildren: Joe and Louis Santia, Emma and Abby Sonnentag, Dennis Hester, Jr., Caden and Vincent Hengesbach, Jordyn and Jacob Pope, and Emily and Cameron Johnson.