She was the beloved mother of Juvenal (Tony) Monteiro of Scituate, Catherine Monteiro Barbosa of Scituate and her late husband John Peter Barbosa, Maria Monteiro Jenkins of Scituate, Manuel Monteiro and his wife Susan Ingram Monteiro of Norwell, John Monteiro and his wife Karen Monteiro of Plymouth, Elario (Eddie) Monteiro and his wife Laura Campbell Monteiro of Los Angeles, California, and Peter Monteiro of Plymouth. She was also the mother of the late Fernando Monteiro of Scituate, the late Augusto Monteiro of Southington, CT and the late Anna Monteiro of Scituate.
She was predeceased by her husband Guilherme (Tony) Pires Monteiro and her brothers Eduardo Rodrigues, Raul Rodrigues, Domingos (Branquinho) Nunes, and Gary Pounds and her sister Emilia Miranda. She is survived by her sisters Dominga Hall and Antoinette Mirandes of Canton, Ohio and her brother Dirk Pounds of Las Vegas, NV.
She was the beloved grandmother of Melissa Monteiro, Tiffany Monteiro Hart, Celena Monteiro, and Richard Monteiro; David Monteiro, Michael Monteiro and Susanne Monteiro Adams; Jennifer Barbosa Zarrella, Margaret Barbosa (deceased), Joshua Barbosa (deceased); and Joshua Monteiro Nyren. She leaves 17 great grandchildren: Anthony Smith (Melissa Monteiro); Jason Jr and Jameson Hart (Tiffany and Jason Hart); Isabella, Marianna, Cecelia, and Angelina (Richard and Justine Monteiro); Clarastella, Annabel, Mary, Polly, and Ellen (David and Michelle Monteiro); Vianna, Mateo and Giancarlo Zarrella (Jennifer and Eric Zarrella); and Thomas and Teddy Adams (Susanne and Ronald Adams).
When she was a toddler, she and her brother Eduardo were taken by their parents to Cape Verde. Her mother died when she was a young child. In the early ‘20s, her father returned to America leaving her and her brothers Eduardo and Raul and sister Emilia in the care of his three sisters (Ritinha, Panota, and Sozinha Miranda) who raised them in Dacabalaio on the island of Fogo.
She married her husband of 71 years, Guilherme, in January 1940 and moved to Figueira Pavao, Fogo where she lived until her return to America in 1955. Early in their marriage, they faced many challenges related to a long period of drought which devastated the country. Fortunately, they were able to endure the hardships. They ran a small general store at a time when most of the people had no means of employment. Their genuine care for others led them to provide help to people who had no means of support and who likely would not have survived the famine without their help. They fed an entire community by extending credit to those in need knowing that they would never be repaid.
Upon reestablishing residency in Scituate, she was able to first bring her husband to America in 1956 and three years later they were able to bring the 7 children that they left behind in the care of close relatives. She always spoke of how painful and lonely she felt during these years of separation from her family. They had 3 more children who were born in America.
Affectionately known as Vovo to all the grandchildren and great grandchildren, she adored each and had a special relationship with each. Sundays were sacred to the entire family usually filled with a visit to her home in Scituate. There would always be plenty of food to feed an army when the entire family descended on her. She welcomed everyone with open arms and would express how blessed and “rich” she was to have so many great grandchildren and grandchildren around her. Our lives were always filled with encounters during these visits with “cousins” too numerous to count. Her home was always open to relatives, friends and acquaintances.
Her extended family reached far and wide. Following the death of her brother Branquinho, she became the surrogate mother to the Nunes’ children: Nhatchika, Maria, Nene, Alexandre, Santinho, Nathaniel, and Mane. They still refer to her affectionately as “Titia” and treated her with great care and gave her their full attention and respect her entire life. She extended this warmth to several nephews and nieces upon their arrival to the United States when their mothers remained in Cape Verde—“Until your mother arrives, I am your mother for whatever you need.” Over the years, many a relative lived in our house while they looked for employment and a place of their own to live.
The last five years of her life were spent as a resident of the Cardigan Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Scituate, located about 400 yards from the house where she was born on Country Way. Although we were reluctant, as a close-knit family, to place her in a nursing facility, she requested and, we agreed to place her at Cardigan. She received superb care from the staff. True to form, the staff quickly became her new extended family. To our and her comfort, many of the staff members spoke Cape Verdean Crioulo and were relatives or children and grandchildren of her contemporaries, many of whom were her friends. She developed new relationships and provided occasional storytelling to the staff. She referred to her room as “nha casa.” Each morning she would wake to some breakfast treat from her nephew Nene Nunes. She would be bathed and dressed by Rita “Pepa” Lopes, always in in a fashionable dress adorned with one of her signature scarves preparing her to receive her many daily visitors. Her nails were meticulously manicured by Ruthie Ribeiro, one of her many nieces.
We would often comment that she received the kind of care that would have been nearly impossible to provide at home. She loved the staff and loved being pampered and in return she was able to express her appreciation with reciprocal kindnesses. The entire Monteiro family extends their heartfelt thank yous and expresses genuine gratitude for the excellent care Cardigan Nursing Facility and Rehabilitation provided to her during the last years of her life.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the current Commonwealth of Massachusetts regulations impose strict conditions for visitation and funeral services. As such, the services will be private; the family intends to schedule a memorial service for Benvinda in the near future. A limited number of people will be allowed to attend the funeral mass was held at the Saint Mary of the Nativity Church in Scituate. Anyone attending the mass must wear a face mask and gloves at all times and remain 6 feet apart, except immediate families may sit together in designated rows. Attendees must enter the church through the main front doors and exit via the side doors. Guests may go to the cemetery, but must sit in their vehicles until the ceremony is final. PLEASE REFRAIN FROM ANY CLOSE CONTACT.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Scituate Food Pantry https://www.scituatefoodpantry.org/ or a food pantry of your choice.
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