Mercedes Nazario Santana

Mercedes Nazario Santana

Mercedes Nazario Santana (Titi Chin), of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico passed away in Jersey City, NJ on April 29, 2025, with family by her bedside. She was 92 years old.

The family will receive their friends on Friday, May 16th from 9am-10:30am at the Frank A. Patti and Kenneth Mikatarian Funeral Home in Fort Lee, NJ. A funeral mass will be held at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church also in Fort Lee, NJ at 11:00am. Burial service will immediately follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.

Mercedes was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico on July 11, 1932. After losing her mother as a young child, her father brought her and her siblings to New York City where they were raised. She moved to Rio Piedras, PR with her husband in the 1970s. Mercedes was a dedicated sister to her siblings and a beloved aunt to all her nieces and nephews. She loved animals and took immense joy in caring for her fruit-bearing trees (avocado, plantain, bananas, oranges, and lemons) as well as the vibrant flowers and vegetation that surrounded her house on her property in Puerto Rico. Mercedes loved entertaining her nieces and nephews and took great joy in engaging them with her wonderful and funny stories, joining in board games and hosting tea parties with singing and laughter.

Mercedes is survived by her devoted eldest sister Josephina Ramos and many loving nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband Zenon Leon Rodriguez her parents, Zoilo Nazario, Miguelina Santana, her stepmother Carmen Perez, and her siblings: Bernard Nazario, Antonia Perez, and Emilia Nazario Martinez.

Titi Chin loved animals and took care of strays that wandered onto her property in Rio Piedras, especially a favorite tabby cat named Ben, who was a frequent visitor for years! He was good company and gave her lots of joy. Stray animals are abundant and vulnerable in Puerto Rico. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Mercedes’ memory to an animal rescue organization such as Second Chance Animal Rescue of Puerto Rico (https://www.scarpr.org/donate) or any other charity of your choice. Thank you for helping us honor her memory.