A man of faith and family
PUSD, community remember Sequoia Middle School principal
Porterville Unified School District, family and friends and the Porterville community at large remember Joe Santos as a great student advocate and a person devoted to God and his community. Santos lost his battle with cancer on Saturday. He was 58.
Santos was the first principal ever at Sequoia Middle School, (SMS) leaving behind a great legacy of works for the students and his willingness to drive students to do better and achieve academic greatness for the past 12 years.
Heather Bledsaw, current principal at Westfield Elementary School, talked about her friend and former co-worker.
“Santos remained the only school principal until illness prevented him from being there every day,” said Bledsaw. “However, he still dedicated time to working with students in the Leadership Class and crafting the strong positive school culture for which SMS is known.”
SMS has held an annual Cancer Run since its inception that promotes awareness of what cancer is and how it affects everyone. Bledsaw said the tradition of the Cancer Run is expected to continue under the newly appointed SMS Principal John Buckley.
Santos married his best friend Pamela Santos in September, 1982. They had three children Jenna, Jared and Jessica along with five grandchildren.
In 2016, Santos was diagnosed with Non-hodgkins Lymphoma, and subsequently entered into a long battle against cancer.
“Pamela was by his side through all the chemo therapies, radiation and surgeries,” said Bledsaw. “Last year in May, Helping One Woman (H.O.W.), Porterville Chapter held a fundraiser for the Santos family to help with surgeries and expenses.”
Bledsaw added Santos was a very beloved person, not just on school grounds, but also in the community. Santos was an advocate of
schools belonging to the students, and his vision was to develop leadership skills in all students, having students run events, assemblies, and community service activities. Under his direction, SMS students practiced servant leadership —toward younger or different students at other schools as well as with older community members in local nursing homes.
Santos wanted SMS students to look outside
of themselves and to understand the deep and lasting joy they can bring to others by simply being present and showing they care.
Santos was a very spiritual man, and expressed many times his excitement about God, recalled Bledsaw. She also mentioned Santos' excitement about how God was using his illness to bring people together and show grace.
“He mentored dozens and dozens of people to be leaders in their areas of expertise through his various roles as principal, professor and parishioner,”
said Bledsaw mentioning that those who were fortunate enough knew his priority was all about family. “He encouraged others to value their time with their loved ones, and was very understanding when SMS staff had family emergencies.”
PUSD expressed their condolences on Santos' passing Sunday in a statement on social media.
“PUSD is deeply saddened to report the passing of Santos… he became the founding principal of SMS, where he served over ten years, leading the campus to become
one of the highest performing middle schools in Tulare County and the honor of being selected as one of NASA'S Explorer Schools,” the statement read. “We would like to extend our condolences to the Santos family and express our gratitude for the positive impact he had on so many of our students' lives.”
Funeral services for Santos will be Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. at Holy Cross Church (1765 N Newcomb), following a short graveside service at 3:15 p.m. at St. Anne's Cemetery (561 W Gibbons Ave.) and ending with a
celebration of life at 4 p.m. at Porterville Fair/ Expo Center (2700 W Tepot Dome). At the celebration of life, the Santos family asks that in lieu of flowers, families and children from the community if interested can donate to a fund that will purchase a memorial for
Santos.
“Santos left this world against his battle to cancer,” said Bledsaw. “But he was a great man leaving a great legacy behind of impacts and contributions to the Porterville Community and SMS. He will be missed.”