John Santos
John Santos, 87, of Bradenton, formerly of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, died Oct. 16, 2008.
At John's request, there will be no services. The National Cremation Society and Memorial Center in Sarasota is in charge of arrangements.
John was born in Portugal on November 10, 1920. He immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island as a three-month-old infant with his parents and older brother. He was raised in New Rochelle, New York.
After high school, he attended Purdue University, receiving a B.S. degree in chemical engineering. He then went on to graduate from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and served in World War II as a lieutenant.
After the Navy, he worked for two years in the Air Reduction Research Lab in Stamford, Connecticut. In 1948 he was hired by the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco), and worked in Saudi Arabia for 29 years.
While in Saudi Arabia, he met and married Mary Catherine Whitmore, a nurse for the company. They were married in Beirut, Lebanon. They had two children, Peter (Noiva) Santos and Heather (James) Stewart. He also has six grandchildren.
While living in Saudi Arabia, John and Mary were able to travel the world, which became their passion. Just a few of their favorite places included the pyramids, Kashmir, the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon and Hong Kong. They also traveled after retirement, often meeting up with John's college roommates, whom he kept in touch with for almost 60 years.
John enjoyed golfing, tending to his yard, reading and shopping with his wife. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, giving them wisdom on being successful in life. He was a remarkable man of great wit, honor, integrity and generosity. He placed the security of his family first and provided well for them.
He was preceded in death by Mary.
He will be missed by his family and they will treasure the privilege they had to share their lives with him.