Melissa Castro-Santos
Melissa Castro-Santos, 49, died July 18 at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City after a nine-year battle with multiple myeloma.
Born in Beacon on April 24, 1971, she was raised in Newburgh, where she attended the Newburgh Free Academy. She resided with her children on Parrott Street in Cold Spring. Her husband, Darrin, whom she married in 2000, died in April at age 50 of complications related to COVID-19.
Melissa was a corrections officer at the Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill until her retirement. She was a devout Catholic and a member of Our Lady of Loretto parish in Cold Spring.
Her friends and family remembered Melissa as always having a smile no matter what challenges she faced. She was a great listener and incredibly supportive person, they said.
She is survived by her sons, Darrin Santos and Daniel Santos, who will be seniors this year at Haldane High School, and her daughter, Mikayla Santos, who will be a sophomore. She also is survived by her mother, Elba Castro (Neil Martin) and her brothers, Marcelo Castro and Eduardo Martin.
An honor guard from the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision stood at attention during the funeral.
Visitation will be held Thursday (July 23) from 5 to 8 p.m. at Clinton Funeral Home, 21 Parrott St., in Cold Spring, with social distancing restrictions in place. A graveside service will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. at Cold Spring Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to a GoFundMe campaign established to assist the family or by sending a check with “Santos Family” in the memo to Our Lady of Loretto, 24 Fair St., Cold Spring, NY 10516.
