Obituary of Taina Dawes Santiago

On the morning of February 26, 2024, Taina Dawes-Santiago, 47, passed away after a sudden decline in her health. She left us far too soon yet as she always wished- at home, peacefully, on a beautiful day, with the family she loved endlessly and who loves her endlessly by her side until the very end. 

Born June 25, 1976 in Bronx, NY, she met her husband Robert Santiago on August 28, 1992, and together created the family she dreamed of and devoted her life to. Her children consist of her sons Christian Robert Santiago, Bryant Lee Santiago, Maximus Aurelius Santiago, Lucian Alexander Santiago, and her daughter Harvey Santiago. Alongside her husband and children, she forever remains near and dear to her siblings Cheronica Dawes, Omar Dawes, and Hector Rivera, as well as her granddaughter Jocelyn Santiago, and several more nieces and nephews. She now joins her mother in heaven, Rosa Gracias. 

Taina was tougher, wiser, and more loving than us all. Despite everything life threw at her, she fought back hard and stood strong and left with a smile on her face and a story we could talk about for years to come. And she would tell her stories and laugh and liven up any room she stepped in. But with how vibrant a woman she was she knew exactly who she could wholly trust and kept her circle small and close. Still, though she put her full trust in a few she touched the hearts of so many from Florida to New York, Pennsylvania to Rhode Island, and then some in between. She kept music in her heart and home and love in every meal she cooked. Every holiday was memorable with her around to celebrate and commemorate with a few dozen more photos for us all to reminisce upon now.

We cannot overstate how overwhelming and devastating a loss it is to no longer have her by our side, but never will she ever leave our lives. In fact, it would be an injustice to say the world is lesser without her in it because she will always remain in it through the impact she had on us all as a beloved mother, a beautiful wife, a compassionate sister, a true friend. Taina Dawes-Santiago, you are our sunshine, always and forever. We love you, and we'll see you again.