Victim of construction accident remembered as man of family, faith

The 47-year-old construction worker killed early Tuesday under the Jane Addams Tollway is being remembered as a hardworking man and a strong father to his four children.

Vicente Santoyo of Berwyn was a parishioner of St. Anthony Parish in nearby Cicero.

Guillermo Duarte, a fellow parishioner, said Santoyo became more involved in parish activities recently, after his son joined the church youth group. Santoyo was scheduled to attend a men's retreat soon.

"He was always supportive of the church functions," Duarte said. "His family was very well involved in most of the church celebrations - not just Sunday Mass but also various celebrations throughout the week."

Santoyo leaves behind a wife, two sons and two daughters. Most of his children are grade school age.

"I think thanks to their faith, they've been able to cope with (their loss) a little bit," Duarte said. "I know they have the idea of, 'He's in a better place right now.' That's a repeating statement."

Santoyo had a busy work schedule, traveling to various job sites as a demolition laborer.

He was fairly new to Omega Demolition, of Elgin, a subcontractor on the I-90 job, but was a 25-year veteran of Laborers Local 225, said Tony Cantone, the union's business manager.

"He was renowned in the industry for what he does," Cantone said.

Duarte said Santoyo's death is particularly hard on a number of St. Anthony parishioners who are in the same line of work.

"It's a bit of a wake-up call. It's a moment where we have to reflect on our lives because a lot of us work in construction and you never know what kinds of danger you're exposed to," Duarte said.

"A lot of us are very appreciative of life right now because this is a man who has a family and kids and they're all very young, too. It is a wake up."

Santoyo's wake is scheduled for Sunday at Linhart Funeral Home in Berwyn. The funeral service will be Monday at St. Anthony, before he is buried at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.

In addition to his wife and children, Santoyo is survived by six brothers and sisters.