Thomas "Hito" Saiz

Thomas was born August 14, 1974, on the Feast of St. Maxamilian Kolbe to Thomas Perry Saiz and Shirley Ann Herrera in Ruidoso, New Mexico.  His given name is Thomas Jacob, but his family and friends fondly called him “HITO”.  His signature name is Thomas Jacob Michael (Confirmation Name) Saiz.  He is an amazing son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend.  He had many friends who loved him as we do.

Hito was a serious man, but also had his own humor that was unique.  He was a man with kindness with such love for family and friends and he was loved by so many.  He always helped the needy, the homeless making sure they had food and giving them money to sustain them for a bit.  He always said, it doesn’t matter what they do with it, it’s between God and them.  Many times, he put his life on hold to help family at times most needed never hesitating.  As a baby and child, we called him “Mi Hito” and the name Hito stuck throughout his years of growing up.  Family and friends call him Hito.  In High School friends knew him as Thomas as well as college professors.  However, for family and close friends the name always remained Hito.

Hito was an old soul, very simple…did not want much or need much.  Would rather do things for others and always thought of others before himself. He pretty much lived a monastic life, simple bed, simple clothes, a small light, radio with antennas and a TV with no cable.  His greatest love were his pets.  He truly followed St. Francis’ love for his Jojo and Olivia, fondly called “littles”.  Jake on the other hand was not his fondest pet...there was a love/hate relationship between them…they tolerated each other.  Hito never married (he was praying for a traditional Catholic woman), he had no children, yet he loved his cousins and was as close as a brother could be to them, he absolutely loved his niece and nephews, Adelaida, Pepper and Little Matt and his great-niece and nephew Alahnii and Aayden and cousins Jake, Zoey and Camila.  His best buddy was his brother Matt, they loved each other and were there for each other in a moments notice.

His Catholic faith and devotion to Mary and the brown scapular, Divine Mercy, the Eucharist were very important to him.  He loved the traditional Latin Mass and Gregorian Chants.  You would need to know him to understand the deep interior person he was.  Those who knew him got it.  It surpassed the meaning of living your faith.  He worried about the world and the lack of love for others, he worried about the young people and shared his faith whenever possible.  He worried about us and always embraced the teachings of the church, wanting to share his faith with everyone using his soft voice to speak of God, the saints, angels, etc.  People listened and he always hoped to give encouragement to those he spoke with.  One of his favorite things to say was, “By God’s Grace.”   He made sure we were taken care of in our home, scapulars, prayers on our front door, Divine Mercy pins for all of us, dropping off cards in Spanish and English in the back of the church, holy water, oil and any sacramental necessary to keep a home safe.  St. Michael was the guardian of our home and his Confirmation Saint.

Hito was an avid artist, he loved woodworking and making wooden crosses, painting retablo’s (Spanish word for painting saints on wood).  He made each of us a painting, he loved the saints and was an articulate painter.  He loved to sketch black and white and drew a painting of our Lady and once painted a replica of Mother Teresa using our mom as a model.

Hito was also very patriotic…he had an extreme amount of pride for his dad serving in the Army.  He loved to listen to stories of Army experiences and would accompany and run PT with his dad when he was the 1SG of D Company, 6th Cavalry Brigade.

Hito was an excellent student in High School and made the Dean’s List while at New Mexico State University.  He received a degree in Graphic Design and enjoyed developing with computer software or by hand designing applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and reports.  On his spare time he designed Japanese art and was very much interested in Indian and New Mexico art.  He was very creative and articulate in every project he designed.

He loved his brother Matt, yes as brothers they got into arguments, but always found the grace to forgive each other.  He made sure his younger brother and he never forgot to say “I Love You.”  Grieving and missing Matt was extremely hard for Hito.  We can only imagine the chaos they are causing together.  You see our faith can get us through difficult times, but in our humanness, there is still that question, why?  Our head tells us one thing and our heart tells us another.

Sharing time together, watching movies, cooking , roasting green chile, Saturday night table games, listening to music in the back yard will always be a reminder of the good times we shared.  He will always be remembered as, the good friend, the good cousin, the good nephew, the good uncle, the good brother and the kind, gentle son.

From the moment of Hito’s conception, his life was a celebration and will continue to be.  As his parents, his family, his friends, we can only say, “We Love You Hito and wish we had 5 more minutes with you.  Give your brother a hug for us.”  Thank you for always being there for us, taking care of us and everyone else.  You did an awesome job.  It’s 2:52 am and you are loved!  We will live for you and keep your memory alive.  You will always be with us, especially during the Sacrifice of the Mass keeping you and Matt in our hearts as we receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus.  For now, as your brother always said, “Sleep with the angels and sleep with our hearts.”

Thomas Jacob Michal Saiz was preceded in death by his brother Matthew Paul Saiz, maternal great-grandparents, Hipolito and Eloisa Chavez; his maternal grandparents Jake and Mela Herrera; his paternal grandparents, Paul and Lorraine Saiz, and cousins Paul, John, and Earl and his brother Matthew.  He is survived by his parents Thomas and Shirley Saiz, his niece and nephews Adelaida, Pepper, Adrian, Matthew Saiz, Alahnii Grace, Aayden Christian; his amazing aunts and uncle, Rosanne Herrera, Monica Herrera Valles and Joe Valles, his cousins, Joseph Valles (Jacquelyn); Claudia Avalos (Adrian), Amanda and Zoey Herrera, Eliza Valles, Jacob and Camila Avalos and numerous other cousins and his awesome loving friends in Killeen and Las Cruces and family of friends at St. Joseph Catholic Church.