Joanna Santangelo

After a tenacious year and valiant battle fighting Metastatic Melanoma, Joanna Santangelo left this earth to rest in the stars on Tuesday, June 13th, at the youthful age of 55. Joanna passed in her lovely home, surrounded by loved ones, with sounds of finches and trickling water outside her bedroom window. 

Born in vibrant Queens, New York, on August 3rd, 1967 to Vito and Vincenza Santangelo, Joanna was the adventurous baby of the family. Joanna was a beautiful soul, who had a spirit that tended and cared for all who came near her. She had a vivacious smile and warmth to her eyes that truly made everyone she met feel loved and deeply known. Being a Montessori teacher for children between the ages of 3 and 7 was a fitting passion. Joanna had a wonderful way with children and taught them what it meant to be creative, how to be wild and free, how to have an imagination come to life, and how to utilize practical skills and lessons. She was an incredible mother to her four beautiful children and exceptional grandmother. Joanna loved children’s books, practicing yoga, hiking, sewing, laughing, Dutch Blitz, dancing, traveling, being with friends and family, and of course, fettuccine alfredo. 

Much like her father, Vito, she never met a stranger, and truly made everyone feel at home. Her generosity with her kindness was rich and pure. Unconditional love was her nature. Joanna knew how to make friends around every corner. Her love was unlike any other. You could find her in the Bosque, at bookstores, doing yoga in the park, galavanting through the petroglyphs, teaching along the Rio Grande, sewing elaborate quilts, or occasionally watching a show at Popejoy. She was a force to be reckoned with. Powerful yet gentle in her stride, she impacted many souls with a love that was so fierce and strong. 

Joanna was preceded in death by her parents, Vito and Zina Santangelo. Her beautiful, loving, and sweet spirit will be greatly missed by her husband, Nathaniel Boozer; children, Melissa Rain (Yoshi), Melanie Hobbs (Samantha), Benjamin Hobbs (Destiny), Kenneth Hobbs; grandchildren, Joel, Ezra, Levi and Adeline Hobbs, and Zina Rain; her sister, Gina (Fred) Seeley; brother, Greg (Reina) Santangelo; niece, Jessica (Chance) Nail; nephew, Cris (Amy) Seeley; and great-nephews and great-nieces, Noah, Micah, Harper, Austin and Kaylie. 

Joanna’s celebration of life will be held two days after her birthday on August, 5th, 2023 at 2:00 pm, at the First Unitarian Church located at: 3701 Carlisle Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110. Her desire was for this to be a time of love, joy, unity, and celebration. If you’d like to wear color, we encourage blue, yellow or green as these were her favorite colors.

In lieu of flowers, Joanna asked that memorial contributions be made in Joanna Santangelo’s name to the UNM Cancer Research Facility, a non-profit organization in Albuquerque, New Mexico.