The family requests to please wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. Please honor their request; the funeral home can provide you with a mask if you forget one. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Humane Society of Broward.

Santiago "Santi" Granja was a loving son, brother, husband, father, and friend.

Born in Quito, Ecuador to Emma Lucrecia Perez Granja and Jose Eduardo Granja on January 30, 1960.

When Santi was just a toddler, his mother went to America to make a better life for her children.  Catalina, "Cati", as the older sister, became his acting mommy, learning how to deal with the stubbornness that he showed even back then.  Later, she was his protector as they emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri without knowing the language or understanding the customs.  With her support, the reunion with both his parents, and the love of the cherished Sanchez family, Santi was able to flourish into the well-educated, water polo playing man that he became, although he continued to secretly rely on Cati as his emotional anchor.

He graduated from University City High School in 1977 and continued his education, with a bachelors in History from Drake University and went on to receive his MBA at Georgia Southern.

Santi joined the FDIC in 1988, and after a few years earned his commission as a Bank Examiner.  He left the FDIC in 1994 to work in the private banking sector but returned in 2006 and eventually became the Senior Risk Examiner in the South Florida office.  Santi continued with his education and earned a Leadership Certificate from the Wharton School of Business and completed the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania in 2017.  Santiago achieved his goal of becoming a Grade 15 Examiner in July 2021 when he was promoted to Senior Review Examiner in the Risk Management and Applications Section in the FDIC's Washington office.

Santi married Marta de Quesada on September 11, 1999 and joined the existing family of Alexandra "Ali" and Stanley "Cito" Szybinski.  Emily Maria was born on January 17, 2001 and Natalie Maria followed 3 years later on January 20, 2004.  As families sometimes do, Marta and Santi parted after 10 years, but both continue to be good friends and very supportive of all the children.

Santi and Trish met playing water polo in 1998.  There was a close friendship with the entire team that continues today. Santi and Trish met up again in 2009 while each was going through difficult times in their lives.  Their previous friendship slowly evolved and they married on August 11, 2012, expanding the family to include Kayla and Joseph Sylvester.

Santi's love for all his children, biological and by marriage, has been the main focus of his life.  His love and his support have carried each and every one of them though the many phases of their lives.  In return, all the children carry his love and the values he has instilled on them, most importantly the love of family and the value of education.