Juan Ramon Santa of Lancaster, California passed away on July 1st, 2022. He was 84 years old.
Juan was born on January 31, 1938 in Medellin, Colombia. Losing both his parents at an early age, he and his brothers, Oscar and Ivan, were taken in by two maternal aunts. He lived a typical and carefree childhood with his siblings, doing all the things young boys enjoy, and attended tradition schools while growing up with his brothers among extended family.
He met his wife, Emilsen Osorio, in Medellin, Colombia. They married in 1960 where they settled down and started their family. It was about this time that Juan began making plans towards his dream- moving to the United States. Leaving by himself in 1964, he found employment and a place in Los Angeles to live. By 1965, he was ready to bring over Emilsen and the children and start a new life!
Juan became a successful real estate agent. By this time they were living in Simi Valley, California. As the children grew, the family enjoyed get-togethers, camping, and travel (Alaska and Colombia to name a couple of destinations). Juan's hobbies included cycling, photography, adding to his extensive book collection and taking home movies. He continued his love of cycling into his 70's.
A series of events, beginning with the untimely death of his wife, eventually led him to live briefly with family and then finally taking up residency at an assisted living facility in Lancaster.
Juan passed away peacefully on July 1st, 2022. He is remembered fondly by long-time friends, work associates and neighbors. His memory will be cherished by family including son, Juan Carlos Santa (Barbara), son, Jairo Santa (Janet), daughter, Luz Franco (Jim) and daughter, Reina Santa Padilla (Luis). He leaves behind seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.