Thursday, October 20, 2022
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To remember Santiago is to remember what he loved to do.
Santiago was born in Austin, Texas. I remembered him best when we lived in the Santa Rita Courts during his teenage years.
When Santiago was a young boy, he loved to go hunting at my uncle Beto’s farm in Mendoza, Texas. He would borrow my Tio’s beagle, a dog named “Bean” and took him hunting with Felix and me. I suppose he just wanted to use the beagle to spook the rabbits; but in actuality, the rabbits spooked all of us, as they would suddenly burst out into the open fields. They were long gone before Santiago could even jump up and give out a good holler.
In time, Santiago would find his own dog, a small, brown, haired mongrel whom he named “Bush”. He loved that dog; He gave him obedience training and took him everywhere he went. Those good times came to an end rather quickly, when the original owner came to claim his long, lost dog. To my complete astonishment and disbelief, Santiago amicably surrendered his dog to the owner like a true gentleman.
Early on after moving into the Santa Rita Courts, Santiago squared off against some of the neighborhood bullies and lost; but he gained the friendship and respect of some people who would later have his back and help him integrate into the community. Santiago never picked fights, but he just never seemed to back away from them.
Santiago was very athletic and could run very fast. He loved to play baseball, football and a good ole game of “Cops and Robbers”. He purchased a strength fitness manual so that he could learn how to workout at home. He loved boxing and briefly competed in a local amateur boxing tournament. He had a terrific left hook; but sadly, he was no Floyd Patterson.
Santiago loved to draw and paint; He once painted a mural on a long wall inside my grandfather Rafael’s tavern. It was a painting of Mexican vaqueros and life on the ranch. It must have been very good in order to have passed muster with my Papa Grande. He also loved to sing, whistle and could hum a good tune.
Santiago will be truly missed by the many lives he touched. May he rest in peace.
