Hilda Pires

Hilda (Roderick) Pires was born November 9, 1934 in New Bedford. Daughter of the late Benjamin Rodrigues and Isabel Roderick. She passed after a long illness quietly at home on Saturday, June 11, 2022 with loving family at her side. She was the wife of the late Charles R. Pires, Sr.

Hilda attended St. John the Baptist Church and later St. Julie Billiart Parish. She was a graduate of New Bedford High School and New Bedford Hair Dressing School. She worked at Cornell Dubilier Electronics and Star Store Beauty Salon in the early 1950’s. She then had her own beauty salon for many years until she started teaching cosmetology at New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School where she retired after 20 years.

She committed herself to God and was a catechism teacher at St. Julie’s for several years.

Hilda and Charlie were inseparable. She loved traveling around the world with her husband, Charlie, and also later with other family members on many memorable cruises and destinations. She loved shopping, walking, traveling, and spending time with family.

Holidays in her house were filled with lots of love and laughter, and always with plenty of food. She loved her grandchildren very much and treasured each moment she had with them. The grandchildren’s Easter money egg hunts were a must and continued for many years, even as they got older. The older the better. It was always about family getting together and staying connected.

She is survived by three sons, Charles R. Pires, Jr. and his wife Joyce of New Bedford, Bruce B. Pires and his wife Cheryl of Dartmouth, and Brian B. Pires and his partner Tamra Carvalho of Dartmouth; three sisters, Delores Miranda, Nancy Roderick, Joyce Grace; two brothers, Richard Roderick and Wayne Roderick; loving grandchildren, Colin, Amanda, Keriann, Christopher, Ryan, Lauren, and Joshua; and five great grandchildren. She was the sister of the late Mildred Lopes, Benjamin Rodrigues, and Shirley Santos.

Her services are private and under the direction of the WARING-SULLIVAN HOME at DARTMOUTH, 230 Russells Mills Rd., Dartmouth. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, PO Box 1120, Framingham, MA 01701 \ www.cancer.org or American Heart Association, 300 5th Ave., Suite 6, Waltham, MA 02451-8750 \ www.heart.org. For online tribute: www.waring-sullivan.com.