Peacefully and surrounded by family, Maria Felismina (nee Elias) passed away gently at Lakeridge Health Ajax, in her 89th year.

Predeceased by husband Alberto in 2000, she leaves daughters Maria Cooper (John), Teresa Cimbron (Helder) and Judi Valadao (Paul), and grandchildren Melissa Bevan (the late Caleb), Lisa Abreu (Claudio), Felicia da Silva (Marcel), Jeffrey Valadao (Cassandra C.), Jennifer Valadao (Matthew P.), Tyler Cooper (Lisa), and Cole Cooper. Felismina will be in the thoughts of her great-grandchildren Cooper and McKenna Bevan, Alecio and Aleciana Abreu, Mateo and Theo da Silva and Charles and Eleanor Cooper. Greatly missed by her niece Victoria Ferreira (the late Tony), grand-niece Isabel Torres (Kevin, Shyanne, and Thiago), and by cousins and friends in Portugal and Canada.

Born in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, Felismina married Alberto in 1957. Two years later, after Alberto found work in Canada’s construction industry, Felismina and daughter Maria joined him. They settled in Toronto’s Little Portugal, later moving to the suburbs. Teresa and Judi were born in Toronto, and the family of five, in their Willowdale bungalow, soon welcomed niece Victoria from Portugal.

After Alberto’s retirement, Felismina and Alberto settled into a comfortable condominium near Pickering Town Centre and enjoyed their daily walks to the mall. Though severely challenged in her later years by the frontotemporal dementia known as Pick’s disease, Felismina continued to welcome and cherish the hugs and kisses of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank the staff of Lakeridge Health Ajax for their care of Felismina in the last days of her life. A special thanks goes to the staff of Revera Winbourne Park Long-Term Care Home in Ajax for their excellent care; they went to great lengths to make Felismina comfortable in her later years.

Funeral to be held on Tuesday, June 28, at the Simple Alternative Funeral Centre, 1057 Brock Rd, Pickering, ON L1W 3T7. Viewing is at 11 am, with service to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer Society of Durham Region, https://alzheimer.ca/durham/en.