Mary Anne Andrade

Mary Anne was born to Manuel and Maria (Custodio) Simoes. The only child of Portuguese immigrants, she was the first in her family to graduate from college and obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Education from Western CT State University. She was an elementary school teacher and spent the majority of her 33 year career doing what she loved: teaching kindergarten at Mill Ridge Primary School in Danbury. During her long career, she inspired the imaginations of roughly 1000 children whom she loved as her own. She was quick to offer an encouraging hug to a child who was scared to leave their parents for the first time, while also helping those same parents feel comfortable with walking away from their child. Mary Anne was a firm believer that a child’s first experiences in school should focus on playing with others and learning how to share, be kind to others, and feel safe enough to explore the world around them. It was not uncommon for Mary Anne to be walking through a store or down the street with her family only to hear, “Mrs. Andrade!” and find a person eager to share memories of her as their kindergarten teacher. Mary Anne would then go on to ask them about their parents and siblings being able to recall each person’s name as she continued the conversation.

In addition to being a teacher, she and her husband, Jack, also owned various local businesses over the years. Their first business venture was a women’s clothing store called Maja’s Dress Shop. They later ran Andrade’s Package Store and were co-owners of International Bakery which was located in the heart of Portuguese Square in Danbury.

Mary Anne was fiercely proud of her Portuguese heritage and was an active member of the Portuguese Community. She volunteered countless hours at the Portuguese Cultural Center assisting in the library, participating on the scholarship committee, and organizing ballroom dancing events. She was a member of the Portuguese Day Committee, helping to plan and organize activities celebrating Portuguese culture and was a fixture at the “ticket booth” for picnics at the Center. In June of 2009, she and Jack were honored at Portuguese Day for all of their work in advancing Portuguese cultures and traditions in Danbury. Then in 2018, the couple was honored for their volunteer work at the Cultural Center where they could be found most nights of the week.

In addition to her work at the Cultural Center, Mary Anne was an active member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Danbury. For many years, she participated in both Cursilhos and Emmaus retreats in Portuguese parishes throughout Connecticut. She is most fondly remembered for her warm hugs, welcoming smiles, and “the Mary talk” that she delivered seamlessly, conveying the emotional rollercoaster that a mother experiences throughout her child’s lifetime.

All of these things, however, were second to her family. Mary Anne met her devoted and loving husband, Joaquim “Jack” Andrade, at the Portuguese American Club where they participated in various drama productions. The couple married on August 1, 1964 and welcomed their first child, Christopher, in 1965. Then, in 1970, their daughter, Jennifer, was born and the family was complete. Mary Anne instilled in her children a strong work ethic, the importance of education, and the idea that everyone deserves to be treated with compassion and respect, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what they believe. She could frequently be heard telling her children, “There, but for the grace of God, go I” in an attempt to instill a sense of empathy and a desire to help others when help was needed.

She is predeceased by her son, Christopher, who passed away in 2015.

She is survived by her steadfast and affectionate husband of 58 years, Joaquim “Jack” Andrade of Danbury. In addition to her beloved husband, she is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Andrade and her wife, Nicole Haeseler of Newington, CT; and daughter-in-law, Maria Filomena Heitor de Matos Andrade of Danbury. She also leaves behind her grandchildren upon whom she doted from the moment they were born, Ricardo Miguel Matos Andrade of Wethersfield, Julia Ines Matos Andrade of Danbury, and RitaMarie Haeseler-Andrade of Newington, CT, as well as several nieces, nephews, and godchildren who will miss her dearly.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30am on Tuesday, July 18, 2023 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 149 Deer Hill Ave., Danbury, CT. Interment will follow in St. Peter Cemetery, Danbury, CT.

Friends will be received from 4:00pm-8:00pm on Monday, July 17, 2023 at the Green Funeral Home, 57 Main St., Danbury, CT.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Son’s of Portugal Scholarship Fund through the Portuguese Cultural Center, 65 Sand Pit Rd., Danbury, CT 06810, to support the continuing education of the youth in the Portuguese community.