November 21, 1960 – January 1, 2023
Information provided by Smits Funeral Home
Norman Salvatore Santos, age 62, of South Holland, IL, passed away on Sunday, January 1, 2023. Beloved husband of Marybelle Santos, nee Mittenthal. Loving father of Emily (Douglas) Hendershot. Loving Grandfather of Gwendolyn Rose. Dear brother of Jennifer (Michael) Kerwin and Mario Dino (Beth) Santos. Kind uncle of Andrew, Abigail, Emma, and Joseph. Dear nephew of Priscilla (Faustino) Dionisio. Cousin to Pamela Dionisio, Jocelyn (Jack) Cheng, and others in the Philippines, Canada and the U.S. Norman was loved by many, admired by colleagues, and will be dearly missed.
Norm graduated from Thornwood High School and Purdue University. He earnestly applied his engineering degree at the Chicago Transit Authority where he worked for almost 26 years — he started as the Chief Automotive Equipment Engineer, Bus Engineering, and rose to become the General Manager of Bus Engineering & Technical Services. In December 2021, he retired from Mohawk Mfg. & Supply Company as the Regional Sales Manager, Great Lakes Region.
Norm was also an accomplished musician. In high school, his guitar skills helped his band win Battle of the Bands. In college, he taught piano at Melody Mart in Homewood and also gave private lessons. Norm often transcribed music by George Winston for his students at their request. Besides teaching, he played keyboard and guitar in Maxx the Band. In recent years, he played acoustic guitar with the Glory Singers at weekly mass and other church celebrations at Infant Jesus of Prague in Flossmoor. He enjoyed all genres of music. Among his favorites: The Beatles, James Taylor, classical pianists: Vladimir Horowitz, Glenn Gould, Murray Perahia, Maurizio Pollini, Andre Watts, Evginy Kissin, Lang Lang, and Yuja Wang (to name a few).
Visitation Saturday, January 7, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a funeral service at 1 p.m. at Smits Funeral Home, 649 E. 162nd Street, South Holland, IL. Memorial contributions may be given to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (220 S Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60604) or Ravinia (418 Sheridan Road, Highland Park, IL 60035). For further information please contact 708-333-7000 or visit our online obituary and guest book at www.SMITSFH.com.
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