Jose (‘Joe’) Serrano Santos of Seaford passed away surrounded by his family on June 9, 2025.
Joe was born on Feb. 24, 1936, in Malabon, Philippines, to Lope and Remedios Santos. He studied mechanical engineering at the Mapua Institute of Technology, and then worked for the San Miguel Beer Company in Manila, where he met fellow engineer and future wife, Maribel Guiao. The couple married in 1967 and immigrated to the United States in 1969, where they found a new home and community in Seaford, Delaware. Joe worked for DuPont for 25 years, followed by seven years as the Superintendent of Public Works for the city of Seaford.
Joe will be remembered for his unwavering kindness, his generosity of time and handyman skills, and his devotion to church and family. His four children will remember him as a patient, loving father who instilled in them a deep devotion to family. He served Our Lady of Lourdes Church as a member of the Knights of Columbus, catechist, choir member, and faithful servant to the parish community. Known as Lolo to his family, he was a devoted and proud grandfather, always happy to travel up and down the I-95 corridor and across the country to visit and care for his grandchildren. The family will cherish memories of Lolo rocking babies to sleep while he hummed Filipino folk songs, his corny jokes, rides on his lawn mower, and his childhood stories about life in the Philippines during WWII. In recent years, Joe enjoyed exercising and being with friends at the Nanticoke Senior Center. Joe found great joy in his garden, tending rose bushes, feeding the hummingbirds, and growing many Filipino vegetables every summer. He also loved music – especially sing-alongs and karaoke, dancing, listening to his grandchildren play piano, and teaching himself to play the dulcimer and harmonica.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Maribel; his four children Mico (Kerri), Maricel (Christopher Skarupski), Antonio, Nina (Stephen Laubach); his grandchildren Andrew, Sara, Elena, Amelia, Noah, and Rory; and his siblings, Carmelita Manubay (Napoleon) of Delaware and Floren Santos (Nemia) of Toronto, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews in the U.S. and the Philippines. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters Teresita Francisco, Emma Almario, and Victoria Timbayan.
A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Seaford on June 20 at 11 a.m., followed by a private family burial at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Our Lady of Lourdes St. Vincent de Paul Society (https://ollseaford.org/) or the Nanticoke Senior Center (https://www.nanticokeseniorcenter.com/center/2-donations/).
To leave a condolence visit www.cranstonfuneralhome.com.