Vida Victoria (Santo) DeSantis passed away at the age of 89 on Sunday, September 10, 2023, after suffering a stroke two weeks earlier. Born in Buffalo, NY, during the Great Depression, to Paul Joseph Santo, who hailed from Ferma, Sicily, and Mary Elizabeth (Panepinto) Santo, from Livonia, NY, on November 18, 1933, Vida was the first baby of three siblings who survived to birth for the young couple. While she is also survived by her sister, Anita Louise (Santo) Conway from Lancaster, NY, her brother, Michael Roger Santo, of St. Petersburg, FL, preceded her in death. Meeting her future husband—Gennar, the love of her life—In Buffalo in 1959, where she worked as an executive secretary for Westinghouse Electric, it was love at first sight for both parties. Following a whirlwind romance, the couple married in the summer of 1960. Spending a joyous honeymoon in Miami Beach, the newlyweds shortly relocated to Gennar's hometown of Pittsburgh, where the young electrical engineer was gainfully employed; their first child, daughter Paula, arrived the following summer. Their second and last child, Gary, came into the world four years later. Raising their children in suburban Pittsburgh, where Vida was actively involved in chaperoning the children's many school-related activities, the young mother excelled as a caregiver, homemaker, and loving wife. An excellent cook, especially skilled in Italian cuisine, a talent in which she took immense pride, Vida enjoyed much more than a life of domesticity. She enjoyed travelling around the nation from the Great Lakes region to beach vacations and historical destinations on the Eastern Seaboard, and excursions in the far West to trips to the American South. She, too, vacationed abroad in Italy with family members and close friends and relished her time there. By far, however, Vida, a longtime resident of the North, longed for the sunshine and warmth of Florida, where she had vacationed on her honeymoon. Vida's lifelong dream of moving to sunny Florida came true in the fall of 1986, when husband Gen obtained a transfer. Living in Florida suited her just right and she never stopped talking of how she did not care to live anywhere else. Although her later years in life changed following the death of her husband of 54 years in 2014, nevertheless, until the very end, she maintained a life of independence, living in her own house, and leading an extremely active lifestyle. She continued to dine with friends and relatives on a weekly basis, enjoyed shopping, and delighted in family vacations to the beach. Vida is survived by her two children—daughter, Paula Marie DeSantis-Tarris an account manager and sales associate at Trane Air Conditioning for over 30 years, and son, Gary Gennar DeSantis, Ph.D., a professor of US history at State College of Florida Bradenton. Paula is married to Michael Tarris.

A Funeral Mass will be held at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church on Thursday, September 21st, at 11:00am.  The family will receive visitors an hour prior, from 10:00am to 11:00am.

Vida will be laid to rest at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Clearwater.