Madalena Luisa Almeida

Madalena was born in Achadas Da Cruz, Madeira Island, Portugal in 1951 to Andre and Augusta Sardinha; she was 1 of 12 siblings. As a little girl, her main responsibility was to cook for her entire family. In 1966, seeking a better life for their family, she would accompany her father to the United States at the age of 14.

In 1970, she would meet the love of her life, Joe Almeida. They were introduced by her sister, Rosa, at a Portuguese dance. In 1971, two weeks after her graduation from Santa Clara High School, they were married at Saint Justin Church and began their life together. Shortly after, Madalena began working at Wells Fargo Bank where she worked for 32 years. Most of her early years at Wells Fargo were spent assisting many Portuguese speaking customers. In many instances, even helping them outside of work on her own personal time. After becoming an American Citizen at the age of 20, she played an instrumental role in bringing the rest of her family from Portugal to the United States.

In 1973, Joe and Madalena welcomed their first child, a beautiful baby girl, Tina Marie. Four years later, they moved to San Jose and welcomed their son, Mark Paul. Through the years, the family enjoyed many vacations including camping, road trips to Tulare and Southern California, as well as participating in many Portuguese festas. In 2000, the first of her four grandchildren was born; Janessa, followed by Dylan, Devon, and Jaden. They were the absolute loves of her life and their forever Nana.

Madalena retired from Wells Fargo in 2003 which enabled her to help care for her grandchildren as well as spending quality time with her family. Along with her immense collection of Precious Moments, she loved getting her nails done, watching sports with her husband, playing cards and dominoes, and was an avid fan of Days of Our Lives and Wheel of Fortune. She was best known for having a heart of gold and willingness to help others. Although she endured a lot of pain and various health issues, it never hindered her tremendous faith in God. She was a warrior and she fought to the end. The loss of her magical presence will be felt forever.

Madalena is survived by her husband of 51 years, Joe Almeida; her children Tina Cordoba (Daybeth Cordoba) and Mark Almeida (Dominique Almeida); her four grandchildren Janessa, Dylan, Devon, and Jaden; her four sisters Maria, Rosa, Fatima, and Josephine; three brothers Manuel, Jose, and Bernie, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents Andre and Augusta as well as her brother Abel.

Our family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation in her honor to the following organizations:

www.glioblastomafoundation.org

https://gbmresearch.org

https://nami.org

www.parkinson.org

www.stjude.org

A visitation for Madalena will be held Friday, June 24, 2022 from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Lima Family Santa Clara Mortuary, 466 North Winchester Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95050. A rosary service will occur Friday, June 24, 2022 at 6:00pm, 466 North Winchester Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95050. A funeral service will occur Saturday, June 25, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at 5 Wounds Church, 1375 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95116. A committal service will occur Saturday, June 25, 2022 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, 490 Lincoln St, Santa Clara, CA 95050.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.limafamilysantaclara.com for the Almeida family.