Basilio Saya, loving father and grandfather, passed away on October 17, 2019, at age 89, with his daughters by his side.
Basilio was born on October 18, 1929 to Andres Saya and Andrea Paz in the village of Villozas, Spain. In his twenties, he traveled to the Dominican Republic, where he married Dora Mota in 1957, and they had their first child, Rosario. The family later emigrated to the United States, settling in New York City, where their second daughter, Ana Maria, was born. A highly-skilled carpenter, Basilio became a member of the NYC District Council of Carpenters and worked on high-profile construction projects throughout Manhattan, attaining the position of foreman with a private construction firm, from which he retired.
He enjoyed his work and was an avid soccer fan, especially of his favorite team, El Deportivo of Galicia. Over the years, he watched many soccer games and played cards with friends at Casa Galicia and Centro Español social clubs. He was proud to have dual citizenship in the United States and Spain. He truly enjoyed living in NYC, but returned to Spain every summer from 1969 through 2019. This past summer, Basilio took his daughters and their families on a tour of Spain. It was the trip of a lifetime.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Andres and Andrea, his eldest brothers, Manuel and Bartolomé, his sister-in-law Encarnacion, brother-in-law Felix, and niece Encarna. He was one of eight siblings and is survived by four sisters, a brother, and 3 brothers-in law, Maria Luisa, Josefina, Carmen y Pepe, Antonia y Pepe, and Antonio, as well as many nieces, nephews, grand-nephews, grand-nieces, and great-grand-nieces in Spain. In the United States, he is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Rosario Saya and Stephan Tomlinson, grandsons Charles Harris and William Andreas, daughter Ana Yoder and grand-daughters Eve Nicole and Mia Lynn, who will miss him dearly.
It was Basilio’s wish to have his ashes laid to rest in Spain, alongside his parents. There will be a memorial service in Villozas, Spain on the 26th of October. If you are so moved, a donation to any cancer research organization would be welcomed. Special thanks to Drs. Li-Teh Wu, Florentina Garcia, Michael Nazar, Jefferson Svengsouk and Natalie Penn, and the wonderful staff at HCR and Strong Memorial for their care and support in his final days.