Yader Ernesto Rodriguez's Obituary
Yader E. Rodriguez
Sunrise December 10, 1967
Sunset March 10, 2023
Yader Ernesto Rodriguez passed away peacefully surrounded by those who loved and cared deeply for him. Yader worked as a social worker for the liver transplant team at CPMC Van Ness Campus in San Francisco. His colleagues called him family, a tireless advocate for patients who needed sincerity and compassion. Yader felt that everyone deserved a chance to live full and healthy lives.
Yader attended Garces Navas Elementary School in Bogota, Colombia, and Vanden High School in Fairfield, California. He was pre-deceased by his parents Adolfo Ernesto Rodriguez Hernandez and Perla Marina Rodriguez Ruiz, both of Managua, Nicaragua. His stepfather, Jose De La Cruz Rodriguez, deceased, was from Bogota, Colombia. Yader earned his Bachelor of Social Work at San Francisco State University, and his Master of Social Work at Sacramento State. He was issued a license to practice clinical social work by the State of California.
Yader is survived by siblings from the Rodriguez Ruiz family, Luis Adolfo, Perla Marina, Byron Jose, and Ivan Jose. He was pre-deceased by two brothers, Roger Bacaro and Rene Javier. Yader was a devoted partner of 26 years to Dante Santos. He is a second father to all his nieces and nephews.
Yader's kindness was only rivaled by his love of life and laughter. The silliest jokes got the biggest laughs. Two people and salsa music meant a party to him. Dancing to Celia Cruz was life itself. He took his vocation with the seriousness it deserved, but he smiled in equal measure. His heart overflowed with peace, joy and warmth. He never hesitated to help anyone in need, and did so selflessly without looking for recognitions.
He loved to travel, reminiscing often of the time he spent in the Amazon rainforest. He has seen the terracotta warriors of Xian, the Mayan ruins in Mexico, priceless art in the Louvre, and traffic in the Philippines. He has seen Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, The Great Wall of China -- four of the new 7 Wonders of the Modern World. But to Yader, the voyage was always the reward, not the destination. The road is where he met people that changed his life, and where he certainly changed theirs.
We will always miss you, Yader. Your love and laughter will forever brighten our lives. Your legacy of kindness lives through all of us.
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