Mrs. Luzia Duarte

Obituary

Luzia Duarte was born on June 13^th, 1927 in Lisbon, Portugal.  Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Coimbrã near the area of Atouguia da Baleia.  She was the eldest of 7 siblings. She was married to Fransisco Duarte at the age of 23, and remained in Coimbrã with her two daughters Maria Rosa, Maria Teresa and her son Humberto until the family emigrated to Canada in 1963. Her family grew with the birth of her son Antonio in late 1963 and Leonor (Nucha) 2 years later. She lived in downtown Toronto on Lisgar Street, Manning Avenue and Grace Street until 2014, when she moved to Mississauga. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, cousin, aunt, neighbour and friend. Early on when coming to Canada, she worked in a seat belt factory and later on worked for the Toronto Dominion Bank as a data processing clerk. She decided to learn English when Tony and Nucha started school.  Luzia was also a wonderful caregiver to some of her older grandchildren and very quickly became vovó to her 10 grandchildren and bisavó to her 4 great-grandchildren, who were one of the greatest joys of her life. She had many talents and hobbies that included lacemaking, carpet making, knitting and crocheting. In her later years, while living in Mississauga she added painter and sculptor to her artistic talents as well as being an avid Yahtzee player! She enjoyed travelling to the Caribbean, Panama, Cancun, Portugal, western Canada and the Maritimes. She was a wonderful cook preparing Sunday dinners at the “house”, codfish and hidden sole dishes for Christmas and also made amazing pumpkin donuts, broas and meat paddies for her family. When you entered the Duarte household, no matter what time of day…. there was something yummy to eat. Her home was always an open door and everyone was welcome to stay as long as they needed. Be it for just an hour or more than a month. She was surrounded by her family for the 2 weeks that she stayed in the hospital prior to her passing on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 at 1:15 p.m., at the age of 95. Sleep well Querida Mãe. You will live on in our hearts for ever and ever.

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