Anna L. (Marden) Monteiro, 94, of New Bedford died March 27, 2014 at St. Luke's Hospital surrounded by her family after a brief illness.
She was the wife of the late Felix R. Monteiro.
Born in Aquinnah, MA, the daughter of the late Williard M. and Agnes May (Jeffers) Marden, she lived in New Bedford most of her life.
Anna was an elder of the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah and was a member and treasurer of the First Baptist Church.
She was formerly employed as an assistant buyer at Star Store for many years and served as past president of the Cape Verdean Ultramarine Band Club Ladies Auxiliary.
Survivors include her son, Roque William "Billy" Monteiro and his wife Paula of Dartmouth; her daughter, Marie Monteiro of New Bedford; 2 brothers, Leroy Marden of Dartmouth and Lloyd Marden of New Bedford; 9 grandchildren, Tami Perry, Kristine Perry, J.J. Morales, Janel Morales, Randy "Bear" Monteiro, Nicole Xifaris, Courtney Monteiro, William Gonsalves and Mariann Monteiro; 25 great-grandchildren; 6 great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
She was the grandmother of the late Roque William "Little Billy" Monteiro II and Tracy Carter, and the sister of the late Herbert, William, Marshall, Robert, Donald, Richard, Stanley, Willard, Jr. and Wallace Marden.
Her Funeral Service will be held on Monday, March 31st at 10 AM in the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. Burial will follow in Rural Cemetery. Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, March 30th from 4-8 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Anna's name to the Wampanoag Cultural Center, 35 Aquinnah Circle, Aquinnah, MA 02535 or the First Baptist Church, 149 William St., New Bedford, MA 02740.
March 31, 2014
Eulogy for Anna Monteiro
By Courtney Monteiro
Hello,
For those of you that I have not met, my name is Courtney and Anna was my grandmother.
I am standing here because I have been given the great honor of saying a few words about her during this very difficult time.
As I am sure that everyone is aware, being able to capture in words the woman that my grandmother was and accurately describe the life that she led is near impossible.
How do you describe a woman who so directly impacted so many people in such a variety of ways and did so just by being the person that she was?
In my attempt to put this together, I drafted several different iterations. As I worked through each version, I focused on how I could describe my grandmother in a way that embodied who she was to the world. While I felt these efforts captured who she was in a literal sense, no matter how much I wrote, no matter how descriptive, the words simply did not do her justice. In these initial attempts, I described my grandmother in a variety of ways, including as:
• A person who worked hard not only to provide for her family, but to be an active and inspiring member of her community;
• A person who did not feel the need to speak, but whose voice was respected without question and resonated with everyone that had the benefit of hearing it;
• A person who consistently placed the interest of those around her above her own;
• A person who was a perpetual giver and never asked for anything in return;
• A person who inspired those around her to strive to be better;
While these, as well as all of the other statements and recollections I had drafted were accurate, no matter how many attempts I made, I was nowhere near capturing who she truly was.
All of this changed last night as I sat at her wake and was approached time and time again by people whom she had touched throughout her 94 years of life; People that knew her in a variety of different ways and a variety of different capacities. It was truly at this time, for the first time, I realized that the pure magnitude of her impact on the world and the people around her was dizzying.
It was at this time, that I decided that the only way I could put something together for this moment would be to avoid trying to capture who she was to all people, and instead focus on the person that I knew… Nana.
• Nana is the woman who placed the utmost and highest importance on her family.
• Nana is the woman who was a devoted wife to my grandfather, Felix, who despite his passing 18 years ago, she has remained dedicated to ensuring his continuing and ever lasting legacy;
• Nana is the woman who was an unwavering sister to her 10 brothers; raising and caring for each of them through sickness and health;
• Nana is the woman who raised two wonderful children, my father and my Aunt Marie, both of which continue after over 70 years to fight over who is the favorite;
• Nana is the woman who was and always will be beloved to myself, my siblings and all of my cousins as our “Nana”; and
• Nana is the woman who was and always will be a beloved “Auntie Anna” to her many nieces and nephews.
All of that said, for me, Nana was also the woman:
• Who always had bacon sitting on top of her stove when I came to visit her;
• Who somehow could cook the perfect pancake with a crispy buttery crust around the outside edge that I have found is impossible to replicate;
• Who always had jello, cool whip, ice cream and freezer pops in her freezer;
• Who always had a jar of cookies and / or vanilla wafers sitting to the left of her sink;
• Who, for the longest time, had probably the oldest refrigerator in the entire city, maybe even the entire state;
• Who would never shy away from a lunch or dinner trip to Davy’s Locker;
• Who would be sitting in the front window when I would come to visit her;
• Who was always waiting outside on the front stoop when I told her I would be there to pick her up;
• Who always could calm my soul by simply saying “come in” when I knocked on her door;
• Who always and unquestionably provided her family with a home, no matter what the circumstances or the need.
I think my point to all of this is that Nana was a lot of things to a lot of people. For me, she was truly the Matriarch of our family and has been the cornerstone for all of us. While she will be sorely missed by all who had the benefit of being touched by her throughout her life, I think it is most important for us to remember that she has played a critical role in making all of us into who we are … and in that … will never be gone.
And while I will unquestionably miss hearing her say “yes deary” when I call her name, I truly believe that no matter what, I will continually be reminded of her, and surrounded by her, because my actions, and the actions of my family, are inextricably tied to her. This has best been evidenced by the incredible showing of love, strength and cohesiveness that our family has exhibited during the recent tragedies and loss that we have experienced, including our most recent loss of Nana.
Despite this very difficult loss, however, I would like at this time to propose a challenge to my family. Time and time again, we have seen how tragedy has brought us together into an undeniable force focused on protecting and caring for each other. There is no reason why this same level of commitment and cohesiveness cannot be perpetual. In this moment, and in support of the Legacy that has been left behind by all of our family members that have passed away, I would challenge all of us to remain dedicated to ensuring that we maintain the same level of love and commitment going forward that these moments of tragedy have reminded us that we are capable of. It is a disservice to all of us to do otherwise with such a great asset, particularly considering the sacrifices that have been made by those that came before us to create it. There is no replacing a person like Nana, however, we all have the distinct benefit of her influence on us to guide our actions going forward.
In closing, I would like to say `Bensone’ and thank you to Nana for the person she was and the role she played in making me into the person that I am.
I love you all
Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak today.