1920
Yolanda
2014
Yolanda V. Santiano
March 21, 1920 — May 18, 2014
YOLANDA V. (GIULIANO) SANTIANO, 94, of Johnston, passed away peacefully with her loving family by her side on May 18, 2014. She was the wife of the late Michael Santiano. Born in Providence, she was the daughter of the late Aquilino and Consiglia (Amourosso) Giuliano.
In August of 1942, Yolanda was the 14th woman to join the Woman’s Army Corp in Rhode Island. She attended Washington & Lee University where as an Officer Candidate she moved up the ranks to First Lieutenant. She then became the Special Service Officer in charge of recreation at O’Reilly General Hospital in Springfield, MO. She hosted many USO Shows and recruited many personalities and public figures to entertain the troops like Benny Goodman, Bob Hope, Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, Loretta Young and Eleanor Roosevelt. She was offered a captaincy but turned it down to return to private life.
Yolanda worked as a Cartographic Technician at the Army Map Service and was a member of the Earth Scientists & Technology Association and the Garden Club. She was an avid golfer and swimmer. She raced and bred a number of thoroughbred racehorses in partnership with her husband Michael whom she was married to for 63 years. She enjoyed the family dogs and was an avid collector of 19th Century American and European Majolica.
She is survived by her daughter, Susan Santiano; a son, Charles Santiano; and nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Nicholas Giuliano, Vera Yeager and Ida DiGiambattista.
Her funeral and burial will be private. Donations in her memory may be made to Home & Hospice Care of RI, 1085 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904 or the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.
In August of 1942, Yolanda was the 14th woman to join the Woman’s Army Corp in Rhode Island. She attended Washington & Lee University where as an Officer Candidate she moved up the ranks to First Lieutenant. She then became the Special Service Officer in charge of recreation at O’Reilly General Hospital in Springfield, MO. She hosted many USO Shows and recruited many personalities and public figures to entertain the troops like Benny Goodman, Bob Hope, Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, Loretta Young and Eleanor Roosevelt. She was offered a captaincy but turned it down to return to private life.
Yolanda worked as a Cartographic Technician at the Army Map Service and was a member of the Earth Scientists & Technology Association and the Garden Club. She was an avid golfer and swimmer. She raced and bred a number of thoroughbred racehorses in partnership with her husband Michael whom she was married to for 63 years. She enjoyed the family dogs and was an avid collector of 19th Century American and European Majolica.
She is survived by her daughter, Susan Santiano; a son, Charles Santiano; and nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Nicholas Giuliano, Vera Yeager and Ida DiGiambattista.
Her funeral and burial will be private. Donations in her memory may be made to Home & Hospice Care of RI, 1085 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904 or the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.
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