Mrs. Maria José da Ponte

Obituary

When she laughed her eyes would twinkle and her shoulders would shake as she giggled like a young girl. We delighted in making her laugh and she laughed often. It is so hard to encapsulate her life into a few sentences, but, the overarching theme of Maria Jose da Ponte, is Love. Love with a capital “L”. She radiated Love to all – her husband, Manuel, her brother, Dimas, her son Daciano, her daughter (in law), Marion and, the supreme apple of her eye, her grandson, Xavier. Her Love extended far and wide beyond her family and included so many friends. Her life was a life of service to others: she was born in Lomba da Maia on the island of San Miguel, in the Acores. The eldest of six, she was not allowed to go to school as she had to help with the younger children. At 16, she was sent, to Brazil to look after her father as he went there to seek a brighter future. She remained there for 7 years, living in Rio de Janeiro. She eventually returned to her hometown and, at 25, agreed to marry Manuel Cabral da Ponte. As he was already in Canada, they married by proxy and, within months, she was on her way to Toronto to begin her new adventure. Her husband was the love of her life and together they were a great team. He loved gently teasing her and she loved taking care of him. He was 13 years older than she and she missed him terribly after his passing when she was only 56. Generosity was her other trademark. She used to say she was amazed as the more she gives to others, the more capacity she had to give. She was such a generous wife, mother, Avo, and friend. She used to care for children in her home and these all became “her children” as she lovingly treated them as her own. She was patience personified, never becoming angry – always exuding Love. She was always happiest doing things that would eventually be enjoyed by others: tending her garden: making beautiful flowers, fruit and vegetables grow out of the smallest patches of soil and then giving away her bounty so others could benefit. Every Christmas and Easter she would make many loaves of Massa and give them away. It was her tradition. She loved cooking and having family over every Sunday where she would prepare a beautiful meal of wonderful Portuguese dishes. Her mashed potatoes were legendary as were her shrimp, cod cakes, turkey cutlets and on and on. So many lovely times spent at her table – laughing and talking. She would always insist she would do the dishes by herself and would almost never let us help. With possessing no education, she was still the smartest person we knew. She had a photographic memory, memorized TTC routes, and taught herself math so she could calculate change. She understood people and had so much common sense along with an internal guide of right and wrong. She was a mother to all and tried to live a life modelled after Mother Mary’s values. Her faith was her stronghold. She remained steadfast to prayer especially to Mother Mary, saying at least one rosary every day. She is a wonderful woman and we will miss her all-encompassing love, her smile, her hugs and her warmth that knew no bounds.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to St. Francis of Assisi Parish on Mansfield Avenue, Toronto would be most appreciated

Visitation

Service

Entombment