Olson Saez, a longtime member of the Campus Operations staff at Rose Hill who was known for his humor, warmth, and dedication to his family, died of congestive heart failure on Feb. 22. He was 59.
Greer Jason-DiBartolo, PhD, associate dean of strategic initiatives and executive director of operations in the Gabelli School of Business, remembers meeting Saez in 2000 when they both worked in the McGinley Center, now the historic section of the expanded McShane Campus Center. They met again in his most recent position as a nighttime cleaner at Hughes Hall, where he made sure each classroom and office was ready for students, staff, and faculty come morning.
“I don’t think I ever saw Olson without a smile on his face,” said Jason-DiBartolo. “He was funny. He loved to laugh. He was always interested in how you were doing. He always asked about former co-workers. He really embodied the spirit of community and cura personalis.”
Saez was born in the Dominican Republic in 1967 and came to New York City at age 10 with his parents and two sisters, Yanoret Sanchez and Sorange Nivar. His father, Inocencio, was a longtime custodian at Loyola Hall when it was a Jesuit residence, and Saez sought to find a similar position at the University. He joined the nighttime custodial staff in 1997, left in 2008, then returned in 2011.
“He loved his job at Fordham,” said his sister Yanoret. She added that her brother also worked by day for roughly 10 years as the director of facilities at Cristo Rey New York High School in East Harlem, where he received his HVAC certification.
“He had two full-time jobs for a long time,” she said—all in an effort to provide for his four children. “He wanted to make sure that they had everything they needed. He was always making sure they were OK and keeping in touch with them and visiting them and doing things with them. His life was his kids.” He also enjoyed music and having fun in the little free time that he had. “He was always very passionate about his Dominican culture, Dominican music, anything to do with the Dominican Republic,” she said.
Yanoret described her brother as someone who was loved by almost everyone he met—including an international student who came to his funeral. “She said she spoke to him more than her own parents,” said Yanoret. “I didn’t know that he touched people like that. People came from all over to his funeral and there were people that we would’ve never known that he made a connection with.”
Saez’s supervisor Eladio Nando, evening manager for custodial services at Rose Hill, said he had a sense of humor about everything.
“I never saw him upset. I never saw him sad. He got along with everybody,” said Nando.
A service was held for Saez on March 1. He is survived by his sisters and his children: Melissa, Nicole, Osiris, and Osmairis.
