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Mary Rose Silva |
Longtime San Diego resident Mary Rose Silva passed away early on the morning of April 9, 2008 at Scripps Mercy Hospital at the age of 94 years. Aunt Mary would have celebrated her 95th birthday on June 25. A birthday celebration was being planned and the surprise was going to be her niece and husband Maria and Jaime Tomas from Faial, Azores attending this gathering. Alas, this is not to be! Mary Silva was born in Pico, Azores on June 25, 1913. She emigrated to the United States in 1950 on the quota-after waiting for many years to be eligible. She was under the sponsorship of her oldest brother, Manuel Rose, Hanford California. Mrs. Silva was the fifth sibling of her family to leave the Azores and come to California. She lived and worked in Hanford and San Jose until 1953 when she married Sebastian Silva, a San Diego resident, and moved to San Diego. Aunt Mary retired at age 65, moved again to Point Loma area to be near her many friends so she could attend the many functions at the Portuguese Hall, the St. Agnes Church, and the various Fraternal organizations of which she was a member or guest. These activities afforded her the opportunity to associate with the Portuguese community -a great treasure for her. Aunt Mary loved to bake-and she was a real baker! Her sweet bread with the lightest, her cookies very special, her Med Pie the best. Many a front door saw her there with her hands full of her homemade "goodies". She did have joys and sorrows in her life- deaths of family members and friends, illnesses, but joys also-the day she became a naturalized American citizen. She had a tremendous set-back when she became blind at her advanced age, but with the help of her many neighbors and friends and the instruction at the Federation for the Blind she was able to again become independent and live on her own. Independence was very important for her. She was preceded in death by her parents Jose Garcia da Rosa and Justin Pinheiro da Rosa, her sisters Augusta da Rosa, Olivia Costa, Angelina Silva, Serafina Bettencourt, also her brothers Manuel Rose, Joe Rose, Gabriel da Rosa, and Tony da Rosa . She is survived by her nephew Herminio Silva, Faial, Azores, nieces Gabriella Meaezes of Toronto, Canada, Femanda Costa, Maria Tomas of Azores, Rose Marie Mendonca, Lois Jean Stimpson, and Justine Theadore of Hanford. She was also preceded in death by her niece Shirley Brown and a nephew Ted Bettencourt of Hanford . Services will be held at St. Agnes Church, San Diego, on Monday, April 14, 2008 . Rosary 9:45 a.m. and Mass at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be Holy Cross Cemetery. |
