Eva M. Cruz

July 31, 1936 - April 28, 2026

Eva M. Cruz, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Eva was the cherished daughter of the late Arno and Erika Voigtlander and sister of her late brothers, Peter (Christel) and Arno of Germany. She started her adventuresome journey in England working as an au pair for the purpose of learning English. She returned to Germany, and met and married the late Jorge Piedade, a captain of the Portuguese Merchant Marines. She moved to Portugal to be with her spouse, to raise her two daughters, and worked for an American shipping company. She later emigrated to the US to be with her new partner, the late Ray McKinney, whose family embraced her and their newborn daughter, all while being a working mom at Robert Reiser & Co. as a translator. A few years later she met and married the late Walter J. Cruz and the family moved to New Bedford, where she lived until her passing.

She enjoyed a long professional career as a legal secretary and translator for the Mickelson law firm, Rothtec and Zapp USA. She was a dedicated member of the Bristol County Chapter of the Legal Secretaries Association. Always wanting to give of herself she later volunteered for many years with the Grandparent Program. She loved working with children and spent many years at the Betsy B. Winslow School.

She was extremely outgoing and social and enjoyed talking to anyone. She had many long friendships and easily made new ones. She had a very close circle of friends that went as far back as elementary school in Germany, and included many in Boston and as far as Spain and the UK. In recent years, she became an active member of the German Kaffee Klatsch group and looked forward to each gathering. She enjoyed dining out, the theater/cinema, reading, traveling/cruising, chair yoga, and long conversations - always with a glass of Prosecco.

She lived for her large and extended family. She is survived by her daughters: Cristina, Erica Margarida, and Eva Doris and their loving husbands, Sean, Totraman, and Dimitri; along with her grandchildren: Troy, Dana, Caitlin (Mark), and Samantha; Yubaraj (Sangya), Raj (Sharmila), and Maya (Rajiv); Alexandra and Iason; also three great-grandchildren, and her niece Andrea and nephew Arno and their children in Germany; including many nieces and nephews in the US. She is also survived by her step-daughter, Sharon Cruz, her children and grandchildren. For her family was family and she loved them all.

Eva will be remembered for her humor, her strength, her steady presence and her gentle grace with which she cared for those around her. She lived on her own terms, embracing all that came her way and gave back with enduring love and laughter. She will be deeply missed and will live on within us.

Visitation will take place on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 from 10am to 12pm in the Waring-Sullivan Home At Fairhaven, 180 Washington St., Fairhaven, MA 02719

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Eva’s memory to Rosie’s Place www.rosiesplace.org