Treasa Cecilia Picardo

Treasa Cecilia Picardo was born to Manuel and Florine Rego in Mangalore, India on November 1, 1935. After completing high school in the mid-1950s, she came to Bombay (now Mumbai) and worked at Pfizer until her retirement in 1988. In 1959, she met Eric Picardo and they married on December 31, 1960. Treasa and Eric lived in Bombay with their three children for the next 30+ years. In the mid-1990s, Treasa joined Eric in Abu Dhabi, where he was working as an accountant. They emigrated to Canada in 2000 to join their children, all three of whom had moved to Canada a few years earlier.

Treasa was a devoted wife and mother, always putting her family’s interests above her own. She was a kind and selfless person with a very warm disposition, and an excellent cook who specialized in Mangalorean cuisine. Right until her mid-80s, she along with her husband Eric enjoyed hosting gatherings for family and friends. Christmas especially was an annual event that family and friends looked forward to, as Treasa generously shared her cooking and Christmas sweets which she would spend days preparing.

Treasa had a large circle of friends and was a trusted confidante and adviser to many of them. A motherly figure to many young people, who affectionately called her “Aunty”, she also adored her six grandchildren – who called her Banda or Gemma – and her two great grandchildren, and they loved and respected her in equal measure.

While cooking was Treasa’s passion, she also enjoyed reading and watching Hindi movies and US politics, which she found immensely amusing. Despite her own health challenges over the last couple of years, the wellbeing of her loved ones was invariably her primary concern.

Treasa is survived by her husband Eric; her children Elvira, Elvis and Elvin, and their respective spouses Patrick, Michelle and Cheryl; her grandchildren Rochelle, Erika (and her spouse Jason), Ryan, Kiarah, Jaden, and Matthew; and her great grandchildren Naya and Zolan. She is pre-deceased by her siblings Alice and Basil John, and is survived by her siblings Dulcine Sequeira and Freddy Rego.