Santiago "Titi" Mikael Bustamante

Santiago "Titi" Mikael Bustamante, age 5, of Abingdon, Maryland passed away after a short battle with leukemia on May 10, 2024 at Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he was the son of Karla Bustamante and Darrius Gilliam. Santiago attended pre-school at Old Post Road Elementary School in Abingdon, MD. He also attended the Abingdon campus of Mountain Christian Church with his mom each week. Titi loved learning, especially math. He amazed his teachers at school and always asked them to give him "hard math problems". Those skills were honed at home where he would endlessly ask to work on big numbers with his mom. One of Titi's most recent fascinations was magnets. When it was time to play at school, the magnet table was where you were guaranteed to find him. His mom helped him start a collection at home as well. Titi's playful spirit knew no bounds. Whether he was dancing, singing, or immersing himself in the world of transformers and Spider-Man, Santiago radiated happiness and laughter. He adored his family, finding immense joy in spending time with them.     

Santiago is survived by his loving Godparents, Carlos Bustamante and Meredith Myers; maternal grandparents, "Ma" Delia Bustamante and "Pa" Adelin Hernandez; paternal grandmother, Dee Thompson; his best friend, Ramon "Jr." Bustamante; caring aunt, Kimberly Bustamante; brother, Nicolas Hernandez; and cherished NaNa, Carmela Lopez. He will also be missed by his many loving cousins.