Mary L. (Rose) Mendes - longtime resident of Scituate passed away peacefully on the morning of March 28, 2021. She was the beloved mother of Mary Lou “Lulu” Quinn of Scituate and Arnold H. Mendes of Plymouth.
Born on Nov. 9, 1929 and raised in Fogo, Cabo Verde, she was the daughter of the late Frank Soarse Rose and Angelina (Teixeira) Rose. In her early 20’s, she met and married her former husband, the late Arnaldo J. Mendes. The couple took great pride in having captained the Schooner Ernestina and were the last to charter her across the Atlantic bringing Cape Verdean immigrants to the United States under sail, in the 1950's.
She loved to listen to country music, actually any music. Mary loved to dance and was good at it. In her prime she and Arnaldo would dress up to the nines and have monthly dinner and dance dates. She loved to entertain and was a gracious hostess.
She had a green thumb and loved to be in her yard. Mary’s kind manner will be missed by all. Her open heart was a gift. She forgave and forgot and was never bitter even in the last years of her life when she was left blind by diabetes.
She was an enthusiastic collector of interesting hats and was sure to often find occasion to wear them. In appreciation of this passion, the family encourages guests of her services to don their own favorite hat. Mary Rose loved family gatherings and was sure to remind her young grandchildren the importance of greeting her with hugs and kisses before proceeding to acknowledge anyone else present. She had an amazing sense of humor and will be missed tremendously by her family, friends and her extended family in the staff of Cardigan Nursing Home, from whom she received wonderful care in her final years.
She was the cherished Nhanha of 5 grandchildren, Michael, Sheana, Kiana, Angelina, and Aidan were the jewels of her crown and her great grandchildren, Autumn, Aria, Jaydon, Michael Jr, Aziah and Cameron were the added gems. She was the loving sister of the late Caesar Soarse Rose. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held at Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home, 382 First Parish Road, Scituate, MA on Monday, April 5, 2021 from 4-8 PM. Due to current building capacity restrictions and social distancing requirements, guests may experience a waiting period to enter the visitation. Family funeral Mass at St. Mary of the Nativity Church in Scituate. Burial to follow at Union Cemetery.
A memorial service and celebration of Mary's life will be held at a later date when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the MA Commission for the Blind, 600 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111 or to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116-7023.
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