Teresa Esperanza Mascarenhas Martins

Place of birth: Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, India, September 29, 1929

Place of death: Toronto, Canada, June 1, 2023

Teresa, the feisty matriarch of the Martins family, passed away at the ripe old age of 93 on Thursday morning, June 1 at 8:40 am.

Born to Benjamin and Crystalline Mascarenhas in Ratlam, India, she was their only daughter and had a brother named Martin. Convent-raised and educated, this pious damsel was married to the dashing Goan jazz musician extraordinaire, Gabriel Manuel Martins. They resided in Goa, then a Portuguese colony, and later settled down and raised their four children in Bombay, India.

A supportive wife, she held the fort while her husband, a professional jazz musician, worked on cruise ships on lengthy assignments. She ruled her roost with an iron rod, disciplined her brood in her version of boot camp until each one left the nest and she was left with the last wayward child, her daughter Michelle, singlehandedly responsible for her mother’s grey hairs.

Teresa was much loved, respected and admired by her family in Goa, extended family, cousins and friends. Her cooking skills and dishes were to die for; namely her signature dishes of Pork Vindaloo, Sorpotel and Stuffed Pomfrets. To date, her Goan Meat Masala Mix and meatballs are dutifully replicated in her children’s kitchens. No Christmas sweets table was complete without her Kulkuls, Neuris, Dodol, Halwa and Christmas cakes.

Due to her deteriorating health, she was a resident of Altamont Care Community from April 2016 to June 1, 2023. A social butterfly, she could rarely be found in her room. Well-liked by staff and residents, she was the lead singer at the prayer group service and took part in every activity at the home.

Teresa was a true fighter. With many lives lost during the pandemic, she beat the odds after getting Covid in 2020. She was passionate about gardening, an ardent fan of singer Suzy-Q and doted on her children and grandchildren.

Mummy, Nana, Grandma, Mana Terez, Aamchi Maami. She left a mark on each member of her family and will be missed dearly.

May her soul rest in eternal peace and may she rest in the loving care of our Lord.

She is survived by her loving children: Son, Victor, and daughters, Leoncie, Arcadia, and Michelle.

Missed by her grandchildren: Vanessa, Shannon, Amara, Tamaris and Kurt.

Great grandchildren: Olivia, Nicholas and Margot.

Daughter-in-law and sons-in-law: Veronica, Viktor, Mark and Dirk

Grand-son-in-laws (Steve, Ryan, Nico) and granddaughters-in-law: Sarah and Anna.