Raymond Santoyo (1961-2021): Husband | Father | Firefighter | Friend | Hero
Ray was a longtime volunteer at Mt. SAC athletic events and his love for Mt. SAC was also shared by his family.
WALNUT, Calif. – It is with deep regret that the Mt. SAC Athletic Special Events informs our friends and family of the passing of longtime Mt. SAC Relays Games Committee and Mt. SAC Relays / LA84 Foundation Youth Days Executive Committee Member, Raymond Santoyo (59).Â
Surrounded by his family, Ray passed away on March 8th, after long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Serving others in his professional and personal life was his calling. He served 32 years as a firefighter and engineer with the Chino Valley Fire District (CVFD), before retiring in 2017. During his career and in retirement, he also volunteered with numerous organizations including the Mt. SAC Athletics Special Events.
“Anyone who was fortunate to know him, knew he was someone incredibly special,” replied Mt. SAC Athletic Special Events Director, Doug Todd. “He was a very caring person, always there to help in any way possible and could handle any situation with the calmest demeanor. Ray made everyone around him a better human being.”
A local area product, Ray graduated from Chino High School in 1980, before transferring to Mt. SAC where he was a member of the Cross Country and Track & Field Teams. He earned his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification from Mt. SAC and was hired as a firefighter by the CVFD in 1985. Ray spent his entire career with the CVFD and held various positions within the department including firefighter, firefighter-paramedic, engineer and shift investigator.Â
One personal title Ray earned on the job was “hero.” In 2009, he went “above & beyond the call of duty” when he put himself in personal danger to provide aid and rescue a wounded police officer. This happened during the middle of a violent gun battle between two armed robbery suspects and the Chino Police Department. For his heroic efforts, he was awarded the Chino Police Department Meritorious Award, Police Chief’s Commendation Award and received a CVFD Commendation.
Ray’s
love for Mt. SAC was also shared with his family. All four of his children participated in the Mt. SAC Relays / LA84 Foundation Youth Days. His two youngest also participated in the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational. He volunteered countless hours with various programs attached to Mt. SAC including the Mt. SAC Relays, Mt. SAC Relays / LA84 Foundation Youth Days, Mt. SAC Athletics Hall of Fame and the National Pole Vault Summit.Â
Ray is survived by his wife of 34 years / Mt. SAC Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee Sally (Cavion), his four children, Jordan (Faby), Sommer (Joshua) Stringer, Gabriel (Hannah) and Sierra, his mother Esther, brother Marty and sisters Susie, Loretta and Maryellen. His sister in law, is legendary Mt. SAC Women’s Soccer Head Coach and retired Mt. SAC Kinesiology, Athletics and Dance Division Associate Dean and Associate Athletics Director, Debbie Cavion.
A celebration of life for Ray will be held on Monday, April 12, 2021 at the Calvary Chapel Chino Hills (see details below).Â
Raymond Santoyo Celebration of Life
Monday, April 12, 2021 @ 10:00am
Calvary Chapel Chino Hills
4201 Eucalyptus Avenue
Chino, CA 91710
The memorial service will be held inside sanctuary. Anyone in attendance is kindly asked to wear a mask. Outside seating with monitor view of the service will also be available.
There will also be a live webstream of the service that can be viewed at https://livestream.com/ccch/memorialservice
If you would like to help out the Santoyo Family, a MealTrain website has been set up by friends of the family at https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/z1v94d/donate/ Donations may also be sent to the City of Hope and directed for Pancreatic Cancer research.
For additional information please contact the Mt. SAC Athletic Special Events Office at specialevents@mtsac.edu