On February 12th, 2026, Santo Grosso left us to be with Our Lord Jesus.  Santo was born February 26, 1937, in the small town of Grammichele, in the province of Catania, Sicily.  He was the son of Salvatore & Rosa (Guerreri) Grosso.  He came from very humble beginnings.  His father, a bricklayer, was called to serve in the Italian army, shortly after the outbreak of WWII.  Because of the war, for his early years, he and his brother, Francesco (Ciccio) did not know their father.  As the war escalated, Rosa, Santo & Ciccio, fled to the nearby mountains, with the rest of the townspeople, to live in caves.  They were warned that the German soldiers were coming to occupy Grammichele.  For several months, life was very tough.  Thankfully, Sicily was then liberated by the Allied Forces.  Shortly thereafter, Santo's father returned home.

After the war, Sicily, like much of Europe, was left to rebuild.  Salvatore & Rosa had another baby boy, Joe.  In search of a better life, and a new start, Santo's father & mother, with Joe in arms, left Grammichele for Buenos Aires, Argentina. Santo & Ciccio were left behind with their grandmother and aunt, until their father could earn enough money to bring them to Argentina, which was shortly thereafter.

As Santo grew into adolescence, he began learning the building & construction trade.  He spent many teen years working on construction sites with his father, earning money to help to support his family.  But he had a goal to someday visit the United States.  In the meantime, Santo became a skilled bricklayer & stone mason. Santo continued to work hard, and saved until he earned enough to travel to America.  Upon receiving his visa to come to the U.S., he left Argentina in 1960, and arrived in Chicago.  Very soon, he met a young, 17 year-old, Mary Frances Licciardi.  Mary was also of Sicilian heritage.  In 1962, Santo & Mary were married.  They had four boys: Joseph, Salvatore, Gregory and Michael.

In 1980, the family moved to San Antonio.  Santo began SAMA Construction, and was a successful custom home builder.  He built many homes on the Northside of San Antonio.  As he built houses, he also built many long-lasting friendships with those for whom he built those houses.

Santo is survived by his wife of nearly 64 years, Mary; sons Joe, Sal, Greg, Mike; his brother, Joseph O. Grosso; niece Angela (Grosso) Vizza and nephew Vince Grosso, and many, many cousins & friends.

FUNERAL SERVICES

The visitation will be held at Angelus Funeral Home, 1119 N St. Mary's, 78215, from 5 until 7PM, Monday, February 16, 2026, with a rosary to follow.  The funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church, 111 Barilla Place, 78209, on Tuesday, February 17th, at 2PM.  The procession to Mission Burial Park (Dominion), 20900 W I-10, 78257 will follow immediately.

MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the San Antonio State School, 6711 S. New Braunfels, suite 500, San Antonio, Texas 78223.