Name: Haydeé Santiago Life Dates: 10/22/1953 - 3/16/2012 City Of Birth: Arroyo, Puerto Rico Pre-deceased by Her parents, Paulina and Jeronimo Santiago. History Haydeé Santiago, 58, of Irondequiot, New York, was born October 22, 1953 and passed away March 16, 2012 at Rochester General Hospital surrounded by family and friends. She is survived by Brothers Luis Pacheco (Gloria) and Israel Santiago (Carmen) both of Rochester, NY and sisters Socorro Pacheco (Luis) of Caquas, Puerto Rico, Elba Williamson (Steven) of Ann Arbor, MI, and Irma LaBoy, Maria Martinez (Felix) and Idalia Chang (Allen) all of Rochester, NY along with many nieces and nephews. Services Calling hours will be at the funeral home 1411 Vintage Lane (between 390 Long Pond Rd.)on Tuesday March 20th from 2-4 and 7-9 pm. The funeral will be at St. Frances X. Cabrini Parish at St. Michael's (corner of N. Clinton Clifford Ave.)on Wednesday March 21st at 11 am. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Additional Information Haydeé Santiago was born on October 22, 1953 in Arroyo, Puerto Rico. She was the third youngest of eight children. Though she came from such a large family, she still managed to find her place within it. Throughout her life she was fun, quirky and full of laughter. When she was little she once asked her brother, Israel to push her high enough on the swing to touch the sky. Being the good brother, Israel obliged her and sent little Haydeé into the air, landing her in a banana tree. That never stopped her from trying new things. For a brief time, as a teenager, she wanted to be a nun when she grew up. She figured out quickly though that boys were not part of that equation. So she instead set her sights on teaching. In January 1966 Haydeé moved to Rochester for the first time. Everything was new, the culture, the language, even the weather. During her high school years she studied in both Rochester and Puerto Rico and graduated in1973 from La Escuela Superior de Guayamanear near where she was born. In 1974 Haydeé came back to Rochester to attend her sister, Flor Maria's, wedding. She decided then to stay for good and attended the Ibero Secretary School from which she graduated with honors. Haydeé then enrolled at SUNY Brockport and received her B.A. in teaching in 1979. This made her parents extremely proud. She went on to receive her Master's degree from the University of Buffalo. Haydeé was now on her way to fulfilling her dream of being a teacher. She taught for 28 years at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School #9 in Rochester. She was passionate about her craft but more importantly she cared about the welfare of her students. She was an extraordinarily effective teacher. It was the joy of seeing her children learn and grow strong that motivated Haydeé. School administrators soon noticed her dedication and offered Haydeé a supervising position so she could share her expertise with other teachers. Her students at School #9 absolutely adored her and the feeling was mutual. Haydeé always told her friends that she didn't need to have children of her own because she had hundreds at school. She took a special interest in students that needed extra help and would spend whatever time necessary after school to assure their success. There was one particular little girl that would have been moved out of her class and into a special education class had she not gotten involved. She spent a year tutoring this little girl in all her classes and as a result, this student went onto higher education and is now an attorney. Haydeé had a lasting impact on many of her students. They would remember her years later and invite her to special events in their lives. One student invited Haydeé to her wedding more than ten years after they were in class together. Haydeé's soft-spoken manner disguised a strong sense of purpose that carried her through much adversity. In 1996 Haydeé was involved in an automobile accident that crushed her right arm leaving her afflicted with pain and unable to write on the chalkboard. She trained herself to use her left arm for all sorts of tasks, including relearning how to write on the board. She was determined to always be the best teacher possible. This required her to regain the strength in her right arm through exercises and stretches, which she did for years. Only Haydeé understood this pain, but she did not want to be deterred from teaching her students. In addition to the students she had at School #9, Haydeé had countless nieces and nephews that she opened her heart to everyday. She protected, taught and bragged about all of them as though they were hers. Haydeé taught them good values and gave them good advice. She was that way with her siblings too. Even her older siblings looked up to her. If someone needed a baby-sitter, Haydeé was there. If the kids needed a little money she was there to help. If any relative needed a place to go or someone to talk to, Haydeé's door was always open. The entire family could always count on her to be there. Haydeé was very loving to everyone and everyone loved her back. She will always be missed and loved by all who knew her.