Mrs. Maria E. Pereira Obituary (1920

ATTLEBORO – Maria E. Pereira died Friday, Aug. 1, 2014 at the Life Care Center of Attleboro surrounded by her family, who loved her dearly. She was born in Candelaria, Sao Miguel, Azores on March 11, 1920, the daughter of the late Manuel Cabral and Maria (Raposo) Cabral. She was the wife of the late Manuel Pereira, who died in the Azores in 1950. From an early age, Maria firmly rooted her life in her Catholic faith and loved Jesus. That faith helped her persevere and find strength throughout her life. She was fiercely independent and valued honesty and hard work, qualities and values she would impart to her children and grandchildren. She was also outspoken and a constant advocate for living the principles of faith, which she did. Following her husband’s death, Maria emigrated from Sao Miguel in 1960 to begin a new life for her family in the United States. She lived with her brother, the late Manuel Cabral, on Linden Street and worked at the former Buxton Box Co., in Attleboro, to earn money to bring her four children – Mary, Manuel, Isabel and John – to the country over the course of three years. She worked at the company until she retired in 1981, and would share stories about her experiences there with her family for years to come. Maria was generous with her time and resources and showed her love for her family through work she did to help them – whether it was creating meals, providing care for them or praying for them. That same generosity carried into her work for the religious communities of which she was a part. She was a long-time parishioner at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, the former Holy Ghost Parish, in Attleboro. For many years, she attended daily Mass at the former St. Joseph’s Church in Attleboro, as well as at LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro. In her younger years, she volunteered to make sweet bread and malasadas for church fundraisers. More recently, her prayer group was an important part of her life and she rarely missed the annual Holy Ghost Feast, which she attended in June. In addition to time spent on her religious activities, Maria enjoyed spending time with her family at numerous gatherings and at Colt State Park in Bristol, R.I. She enjoyed gardening, growing beautiful fruit, vegetables and flowers, at her home. She also loved to cook and would make traditional Portuguese meals, breads and desserts for her family and friends. Maria also loved trying to teach her grandchildren and great-grandchildren words and phrases in Portuguese, and was especially delighted when one of them would use them in conversation. Maria was the matriarch of a large family that will miss her and her feisty spirit greatly. She is survived by her children, Mary Thibert, and her husband Leo, of North Attleboro; Manuel Pereira of Attleboro; Isabel Kosowski, and her husband Frank, of Attleboro; and John Pereira, and his wife Barbara, of Rehoboth. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Robert Pereira, Richard Pereira, Russell Pereira, Lee Ann Pereira, Thomas Pereira, Edmund Pereira, Tracey (Pereira) Baker, Eric Pereira, Christopher Thibert, Suzanne (Thibert) Araujo, and Jessica (Kosowski) Zandan. Maria is also survived by numerous great- and great-great grandchildren, as well as nieces, nephews and cousins located in the area, as well as in Portugal and Canada, and her sister-in-law, Mary Lou Faria of Attleboro. She was predeceased by her grandson, Jason Pereira, and brothers, Manuel Cabral and Guilherme Cabral. Relatives and friends are invited to calling hours Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Duffy-Poule Funeral Home, 20 Peck St., Attleboro. A funeral will be conducted Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 9 a.m. from the Duffy-Poule Funeral Home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 71 Linden St., Attleboro. Burial will follow at St. John’s Cemetery in Attleboro. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 71 Linden St., Attleboro, MA 02703.