A Year went by but Aunty's absence is so vivid in my heart, she will always be remembered and missed dearly.

Nothing Loved Is Ever Lost, and Mama was loved by many people, especially her family. To June, one of my dearest friends, I want you to know how truly sorry I am for you to lose such a special person in your life. She may be gone in body, but not in spirit. She lives on through all her children, and grandchildren. Angels belong in heaven, and Mama was truly an angel.

Our dearest Josie/Terry/June, Cecilia/ Anouska/Jonathan, Filu/AC/Abigail/Austin, Shanu & family, 

Please accept our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences for mums/ granny’s sudden untimely demise. Timana’s death was so shocking that we were at a loss for adequate words to express our grief for you. We never expected timana to leave for her heavenly abode so early. I can imagine how difficult this must be for you and what you’ll must be going through right now. Mum was one of the kindest, wisest and thoughtful person. Our thoughts are with you at this sad time. Even though you are thousands of miles away, still you’ll are always in our prayers.    
Mother's are truly special and Timana was no exception. She was not only a mother/ grand-mother in the family, but a strong pillar of support. She certainly treated me like her very own son. I will always remember her generosity, kindness, welcoming spirit, and graciousness. We will miss her dearly. 
 I often think of those lovely moments we spent together specially last year when you all were amidst us. It used to be a great pleasure to have mum whenever she used to come to Goa miles away from Canada . We had the opportunity to be with her for her last 2 birthdays. We really cherish her enthusiasm, love, words of guidance, encouragement and support and shall remember her always. We are all standing by your side in our prayers every night. 
I know you must be feeling so lonely on this journey of losing your mum/ grand-mother. I want you to know that we are here for you whenever you need a hug. Timana will always have a special place in our hearts. May the Almighty rest her soul in peace. Please do take care of yourselves and may God bless you always. 
With deepest sympathy, 
Mami, Alex, Sunita, Aldrich & Shauden

We extend our deepest sympathy to Josie, Philo, Francis, Cecilia and their spouses and families. Our memories of your mother are on the picnic trips we took when she lived in Calgary.  We will miss your mother. May God grant her eternal rest.
Assis and Theresa D'Costa (Calgary, Alberta)

Dear Josie and Terry,

Our deepest sympathy on your loss. 
Our memories of your Mom are on the cottage trips we took on the long weekends.We enjoyed her company,her laughter,and zest for life, and loved playing cards with her. I remember her telling us how devout she was in her prayer life and said 1000 Hail Marys every day. I am sure she is looking down on you all.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the rest of your family. 
May her soul rest in peace.
Damien and Sarita

August 21, 2010
Dearest Josie, Terry & family,
We know it's tragic & heartbreaking.
But something in life one has to accept.
We wish we had words to comfort you.
But none the less....
my thoughts & prayers are with you & the family.
My her soul rest in peace.
Much love,
Connie & Ludy Rebello (Burundi, Central Africa)

It is with saddest sympathies that I extend my condolences to Josie, Philo, Francis, Cecilia, their spouses, children and families. Aunty was a dear dear friend and a loving person; she always extended her love and warmth to me and I am sure to all. Most importantly, Aunty loved Konkani and the fact that she could speak to me in konkani was pleasant to her. Her memories, especially of the 80th birthday will always remain in my heart. May her soul Rest In Peace as she will always be in my prayers. - Marshal Fernandes

Dear Philu, AC, Abigail & Austin,

Our heartfelt sympathies on the passing away of your beloved mother and grandmother. May her soul rest in peace and may Our Blessed Mother and Her Beloved Son give you strength to carry on. May your Mother live in her grandchildren.
God Bless.
Melanie & Joe Lawrence

Dear Cecelia, Anouska and Jonnathan
My thoughts and prayers are with you on the sad loss of your beloved mother/grandma. She was a wonderful lady with a generous heart and pleasing personality. May she rest in peace. Amen.
Heartfelt Sympathy from 
~~~ Celia Braganza [verna ~GOA~ India]

Deepest sympathy for your loss. Our prayers and thoughts are with your family during this time. Kind wishes - Rita Visram and family (London, UK)

Dearest Josie & Terry and the entire family:

Once again our heartfelt sympathy.  May your mom's soul rest in peace. Amen.
I hope you have rested and are feeling better.  It does take time to heal and no one can feel what you are going through.  Just stay close to God and he will help you and the family to cope during this time of sorrow.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the family.
I really enjoyed my visit with your Mom in hospital.  I keep going back to our conversation and still cannot believe that it was the last time I would speak to her.  Makes you realise that tomorrow is not ours....so we should live today as if there is no tomorrow.


Let us know if you need anything.
Patricia,Francis,Jeffrey&Cheryl Pereira

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.
In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wind.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Love here on earth, Love beyond the grave.
Oh heart, if one should say to you that the soul perishes like the body, answer that the flower withers, but the seed remains.
Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.

From: Joey, Rose, Joline & Jade

Dear Cecilia Anouska and Jonathon,

So sorry for your loss, my thoughts are with you and your family at this most difficult time. May your beloved Mama rest in peace.

Dearest Tina, Alex and family

We were so very sorry to hear of the sad passing away of your dear mother.  May God grant her eternal peace in his heavenly abode above and to you and your family the courage and strength to bear this irreparable loss.

Patrick & Serena Rosario

Dear Cecilia, Anouska & Jonathan, Josie& Family & Philu & Family, Francis & Family
My Thoughts and prayers are with you all in this time of sorrow. My family and myself share the loss of your Mum too as she has been part of my family for the past so many years.We will all miss her very much and will remember and cherish her love and memories of the wonderful time Mum spent with my family and me. My Heartfelt Codolences and Prayers are with you'll.
Blaise & Avelina & family

Dear Cecelia and family

With Sympathy we offer our deepest condolences to you and your family. 
We were very sorry to about your Mum
You are in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time. 
May you find peace and love in the memories you cherish.
May God grant your Mum eternal rest and may she rest in peace. 
~ Mr and Mrs Alfredo Braganza [Verna Goa -India]

It was a wonderful service and a gorgeous day as we said our goodbyes to such an obviously loved woman, Maria Melvida Dias.  I didn't know June's grandma very well at all but I know June who is an amazing woman with a kind heart and a sweet soul. During Thanksgiving last year Shawn and June hosted both their families for a very special holiday dinner and it was then that I was blessed to have shared in the very sweet and gentle spirit of Maria Dias. May you rest in sweet peace and bask in the glory of everlasting life, and may your family left behind find comfort in knowing your are free of pain and sorrow and finally home in tranquility. I love you June, find strength in your wonderful husband Shawn....xoxo

Dear Cecilia,Anouska & Jonathan,
So sorry to hear about your loss.
My thoughts are with you at this sad time.

Aaron, myself and my mother, Jane Reyman ("Grandma Jane"), are unable to be at the Service for Mama Dias today; but she and everyone in the family are in our thoughts and we are there in our hearts.

Francisco and Family,

Our deepest sympathies and best wishes to you during this trying period.
We love you!

Jeff, Wendy, Jennifer, Clayton, and Bryce

Josie and Terry,
We are very  sorry to hear about your loss, please accept our heartfelt sympathies.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you.  Josie, my mum has asked me to convey her condolences to you.
Nelson and Gwen

Dearest Cecilia, Anoushka & Jonathan.
Hoping and praying God give You strength and comfort to bear the sorrow of Her death and help You'll to face the future with courage.May Jesus and Our blessed Mother Mary hold Mama Maria into the arms and May her soul rest in peace.
Our heartfelt sympathy

Necy, Florinda & Baby Natalie

Dearest Cecilia,Anoushka, Jonathan and your family,
On the sad demise of your dear and beloved mother, May you'll feel God gentle comfort,strength of grace and peace at this time of heavy sorrow.May His loving care uphold You'll and brighthen each tomorrow.Though words may seem empty,but still may they impart.
Grant our sister Maria Melvida eternal happiness & peace in heaven.May her soul rest in peace Amen.
With Deepest sympathy to your hearts

From 
Yours Uncle Tony & Aunty Rosy.

Dear Cecilia 
May our loving heavenly father give you the inner strength to say goodbye to Mum ,its not a final bye as we'll meet her everyday ,she is a part of our lives ,in our hearts a special place Mum has made,
'I love you Baby'is what Mum would always say to  me ,
'I love you Mum',be Cecilia's strenght today & forever. My sweet Kiss to you Mum.Cecilia you are in my prayers ,knowing that you made it to  be with Mum I thank JESUS.
Deepest and heartfelt sympathy to all Mums Children & Grandchildren.
Love Hilda

Francisco, I am so sorry for your loss. May your mother rest in peace. You are in my prayers.

Today is a very difficult day for all of us, a day that came far quicker than we had anticipated.


Over the past few days I have had several conversations with my cousin Aaron and my brother Jonathan. It is difficult for us as we wish that we could be with you all, standing by our family’s side supporting one another  particularly our parents, as we come to terms with the enormous gap that has been left in our hearts, to find a way to carry out our duties as grandchildren and honour a truly amazing woman... our grandmother. But most importantly to bid Mama one final farewell.

We never had a chance to say goodbye, but can only take comfort in knowing that she is no longer suffering and she is now at rest and with our Papa.
 
I came across a poem that I think describes our grandmother perfectly, not just how we as her grandchildren saw her but how her own children saw her too. May we all have just an ounce of the love and inner strength that she possessed.
 
There's magic in a Grandmother's touch,
And sunshine in her smile.
There's love in everything she does
To make our lives worthwhile.

We can find both hope and courage
Just by looking in her eyes.
Her laughter is a source of joy,
Her words are warm and wise.


There is a kindness and compassion
To be found in her embrace,
And we see the light of heaven
Shining from our Grandmother's face.
 
Across the many miles, we hope that you will sleep well Mama, take your place with Papa and watch over us whilst we do our best to make you both proud.  You will always be in our thoughts and hearts. We will meet with you again one day and will be longing to hear the words “i’ll chappa you”.

This is not a goodbye but merely a farewell for now.

Love you always.
Aaron, Jonathan and Anouska

Dearest Anouska & Family,

Very sorry to hear of your loss. Please take comfort in knowing that your grandmother/mother is no longer suffering and is in a better place. Our prayers are with you all during this sad and difficult time.

Olivia, Danielle, Maria & Fernando

I light this candle as a token of my respect. I will not be able to attend the service but please know that my heart is with you. May you find peace and comfort in each other. Love Aunt Kathy xo

Dear Josefina, Francis, Filu and Cecilia,
I remember your family from way back in Tabora in the 1960's, your father and mother were good friends of our family, I remember your mother as being a kind and gentle person who made people laugh. I pray for strength for you her children and eternal peace for Maria. 

Juliet De Souza (Heredia)
James Heredia
Tony Azavedo
Los Angeles, CA

Francisco, we are so sorry for your loss. We send our love and prayers to you and the family. Your mom was surrounded by the love of her family in life and in her passing. She will be missed dearly.

Thinking of you!
There are no words I could muster 
that'll take your pain away
I'm sure if she had a choice 
with you is where she'd stay
This is something we must go through 
How I wish it wasn't so
Just listen to her love June
with each beat of your hearts flow
I hope you can believe
There is life after this
Free from sorrow grief and pain
promised is eternal bliss
To think you are hurting
it makes my heart feel sad
To think of your Mama with my Mama
kind of makes me a little glad :)
I can hear them chatting now
all about you and Shawn
the love that you two share
your ever growing bond 
Love you xo
Aunt Kathy

Dear Mama,

It has been 4 very long, sad days without you here, the worst days of my life. I can only find comfort in knowing that you are with Papa watching over us, like you always did when you were here.

Mama, you have shaped us to become who we are today. With your endless love and support, your courageous will and strength, and your undying love for God, you have paved the road for your grandchildren and great grandchild to possess all of these things.

We will always admire you for the wonderful person you were and for your role in the people we have become. 

For all that you’ve accomplished in your life, for your energies and strength, and for the ways in which you have inspired us and will continue to inspire us; if we can take just one thing from all of this, we are all the better for it. 

In part, because of you, I am blessed with the gift of being a mother myself. I will always remember your last words to me and promise to do my best to be a good mother to my son and raise him well. It breaks my heart to think that he was robbed!! Robbed of time, time to get to know you as he grew up, time to sit with you for hours just talking, time to pray with you, time to laugh with you and time to truly appreciate you as the wonderful gift you were to us. Shawn and I are now left with the task of keeping your memory alive so he will always know his great grandmother (his mama); a task which we are undoubtedly honored to carry out every day for the rest of our lives.

I’m glad I got the chance to tell you that the love you gave brightened our days, to tell you that you are an important piece of our hearts, to tell you that I thanked God for blessing me with such a wonderful, compassionate, selfless human being.

But I could never tell you enough how much I love you.

Mama, you have our love forever…Until we meet again.

Love,
June, Shawn & Jaden (Baba)

Dearest Josie, Francis, Cecilia, and Filu:
 
We wish to express our heartfelt condolences to you and all your family on the loss of your dearest mother.  We were so fortunate to see and talk with her on Friday, Aug.6th at the hospital, and now we are very sad and shocked with the news of her passing.  We’ll have fond memories of her and we’ll miss her very much.  May God grant her eternal rest and give all of you comfort and strength.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you. 
 
With our love and prayers,
Helen & Natasha Figueiredo

Hello June,
 
I learnt of the news of your grandmother's death with great sadness.
 
Sometimes God does not answer our prayers and only He knows why....
 
I only have fond memories of your grandmother - especially how happy she was when I met her the last time she was in Goa (I was also visiting at the same time) when she celebrated the feast of St. Sebastian, the patron Saint of the Chapel in the village of Dongorim in Navelim, Goa. She was radiant with happiness that day, proud of her ancestry, generous in her love of her village and loved by her friends and neighbours. I am sure that God will find a place in Heaven for a person with such qualities.
 
Please know that all  us- my husband Tony, my son Mark, daughter Charmaine, my mother Emilia D'Souza, my brothers Leo, Cassy, Joe D'Souza and their famiies convey our deepest sympathy in the loss of your grandmother and we will continue to pray for her soul. Please convey our sympathies to your mother, uncle, aunts and the rest of the family.
 
In sorrow,
 
Cellie Gonsalves

This is for all the family members mainly Josephine, Filu and their respective husbands.

Tony and myself are so sorry to read on the Tanzanite website the loss of your dear mother/mother-in-law, Maria. Our prayers are with you and the family at this difficult time! May it also be a source of inner strength to know that there's a loving God watching over you all, and that, throughout this time of need, He'll stay close by your side. 

Yours in Grief, 

Edna & Tony Barros 
339 Foxwood Road,
Union, NJ 
 
Edna

My condolences to you and your family.......but you'll always have her in your heart and memories...
Doug Lewis

Dear June,

You do not know me but I knew your grandmother and your aunts and uncles way back in Tabora, Tanzania in the 60's. I am so sorry she passed away, I had been praying for her ever since I heard that she was sick and I called and spoke to her just before her surgery. 

Please pass our condolences to Josephine, Francis, Cecilia and

Filu. Tell them that I remember their mother with fond memories, she was a very nice lady and good friends of my stepmother. May she rest in peace. Best Regards to all of you.

Juliet from Los Angeles

Our dearest Filu,Ac & the whole family our prayers and thoughts are with all of you at this time. We love you all and will see you'll once we get back from Mexico. Love from the entire group.

Josie/Terry Franciso & Filu There are no words that can express the sympathy we feel for you today....But hope it brings some comfort to know how much we are thinking of you. 
Julius & LiraCalgary Alberta

June, Shawn & Jaden
Allow us to extend our deepest condolences in the loss of your Grandmother. Loosing a grandparent, I know from personal experience, is one of the strongest sentimental losses. Thank you so much for including us in your thoughts. It means more than you will ever know. How fortunate you are to have such wonderful memories of this admirable and loving human being. How fortunate you are to just know her. How fortunate you are to have her for your grandmother.... You just know how much she was loved. Please give my condolences to your family, you are all in our thoughts and prayers . No words can bring her back, but . . . whenever you think of her or something reminds you of her, a smile will be in your heart. May you find God's presence with you as you journey through the time of grief.  .
                                                     Footprints Family ( Ana, Ada & Meybel)

Dear Tina & Alex,

Please accept our deepest sympathy and condolences to your family. May perpetual light shine upon Maria Melvida. 
God Bless. 

Mike & Rowie

Words seem inadequate to express the sadness i feel about mama's death.  I'm here to support you in your grieving process.  With sincere sympathy, I love u all stay strong.

I am so sorry for your loss.  May God help you get through this difficult time.  Our Thoughts and Payers are with you all in this time of sorrow.
Lenny Kreps & Family

Dear Filu and AC:

Alvaro and I would like to extend our heartfelt sympathies on the passing away of your mom.  May her soul rest in peace.  Please extend our condolences to the rest of your family.  

God Bless

Alvaro and Doreen Mendes

Tony and myself are so sorry to read on the Tanzanite website the loss of your dear mother/mother-in-law, Maria.   Our prayers are with you and the family at this difficult time!  May it also be a source of inner strength to know that there's a loving God watching over you all, and that, throughout this time of need, He'll stay close by your side.   

Yours in Grief, 

Edna & Tony Barros 
339 Foxwood Road,
Union, NJ

I am so sorry for your loss, find peace in comfort from each other during this very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Our thoughts and prayers are with your family in this time of sorrow. May you continue to feel comforted by the love and support of family and friends and may your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.

I am so sorry for your loss, my prayers and thoughts are with you at this most difficult time.

OBITUARY

Maria Melvida Dias

January 17, 1928 – August 9, 2010

Andrews Community Funeral Centre - Bramalea Chapel

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