NOE SANTANA
1943-2017
On January 17, 2017 the Lord called his faithful servant Noe Santana home. He was born in Rio Hondo, Texas in 1943. Mr. Santana proudly served as a Houston Fire Fighter, graduating class 70-A and rose the rank of Junior Captain in only one year and nine months. His ascension caused the city to change their civil service procedure. He suffered an on duty injury that left him paralyzed and forced him into retirement after only 5 years of service.
Never one to let the world pass him by, he recovered and opened a grocery store in the East End, and a bail bond company. He then chartered a multi-line casualty insurance company, (i.e. GEICO, Farmers, Progressive) in 1984, becoming the first and only Hispanic in North America to do so. Mr. Santana founded Santana Funeral Directors, which has served thousands of families in the greater Houston area with distinction. In 2008 after Hurricane Ike devastated Galveston, his Hazmat and Rescue Company secured the contract for the recovery of the people lost in the aftermath.
Many will remember him as an entrepreneur, investor and founder of many companies, even more will remember him as the loving and caring family man that he was to his beloved wife of 56 years, the former Ruth Torres. He was preceded in death by this parents Julio and Juanita Santana and his brother Israel. He is also survived by his sons Noe, Jr., Israel and his daughter Rebecca, eight grandchildren and one greatgranddaughter.
Mr. Santana’s family would like to acknowledge their gratitude and appreciation to the Fire Fighters of Station 71 and to the caring, nurses, doctors and staff of Clear Lake Regional Hospital. Your efforts were truly heroic and gave us the closure we so needed. In addition we would like to thank Pastors Steve Riggle and Garret Booth and the staff of Grace Community Church who made the Memorial of our beloved Noe Santana possible. Thank you all so very much from the bottom of our hearts.
Services in honor of Mr. Santana will be held at Grace Community Church, 14505 Gulf Freeway, Houston, Texas. Visitation is scheduled for Friday, January 20, 2017 from 6:00-9:00pm, with a Memorial Service at 7:00pm. Final services will be on Saturday, January 21, 2017 from 9:00am-12:30pm with a service scheduled for 11:00am. A funeral procession will follow from the church to Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery, 6900 Lawndale Avenue.
Flowers will be received at the church on Friday, January 20, 2017 after 3:00pm. If you should choose, in lieu of flowers a donation can be made in honor of Mr. Santana to the Shriners Children’s Hospital. On behalf of the family of Noe Santana, the faithful staff of Santana Funeral Directors, all prayers, thoughts and condolences are acknowledged and greatly appreciated.