'Her hilarious side'
MOMENTS TO REMEMBER
Cheerful and smiling
BENEDICTA CAETANA BARBOZA
Born: 26.09.1934
Died: 28.6.2010
(Parra, Bardez, Goa - India)
It comes an an abrupt end to a wonderful life of living, loving and caring, fun and laughter, ups and downs, happiness and sorrow, and lastly amidst a long sequence of illnesses that she endured and smiled through them all with patience while looking forward to live.
May be it hasn't sunk into me as yet, but I know what a family meant to this one-of-a-kind mother with the kindest of all hearts, always wishing and praying for the well-being of all the members of her family.
It was 36 years ago when she had first telephoned me in Dubai, UAE, where I met her daughter. Her first words in a conversation over the telephone are the ones that I still remember very well: "Baba" she said, "from what I've heard I'm very happy that my daughter has found a nice boy like you in her life". And before she put the phone down she said: " I'm waiting to see you".
Having lost my own mother the previous year before I decided to marry her daughter, little did I expect what a loving mother-in-law I would have in the following years who treated me more like her own son, loved and took care of my three young kids - her grandchildren. I was truly blessed with a new "mother- in-lieu" of the one I had loved and lost.
The good and the loved ones die young, and it breaks my heart to know that this loving and kind-hearted mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and great-grand-mother is no more with us. She passed away in Goa today at the age of 75 years, exactly 18 months to the day, from the day of her husband's death.
She leaves behind four daughters and a son, eleven grandchildren and one great grandchild, four sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law and a sister/brother-in-law, all of whom she loved very dearly.
I had spent sometime with her during my vacation in Goa recently, which was in fact in December 2009 and in January 2010.
I last spoke to her on the phone just 2 days ago. And whenever I called, her favourite parting words would invariably always be: "I'm praying for you, my son, may God bless you".
May be it hasn't sunk into me as yet, but I know what a family meant to this one-of-a-kind mother with the kindest of all hearts, always wishing and praying for the well-being of all the members of her family.
It was 36 years ago when she had first telephoned me in Dubai, UAE, where I met her daughter. Her first words in a conversation over the telephone are the ones that I still remember very well: "Baba" she said, "from what I've heard I'm very happy that my daughter has found a nice boy like you in her life". And before she put the phone down she said: " I'm waiting to see you".
Having lost my own mother the previous year before I decided to marry her daughter, little did I expect what a loving mother-in-law I would have in the following years who treated me more like her own son, loved and took care of my three young kids - her grandchildren. I was truly blessed with a new "mother- in-lieu" of the one I had loved and lost.
The good and the loved ones die young, and it breaks my heart to know that this loving and kind-hearted mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and great-grand-mother is no more with us. She passed away in Goa today at the age of 75 years, exactly 18 months to the day, from the day of her husband's death.
She leaves behind four daughters and a son, eleven grandchildren and one great grandchild, four sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law and a sister/brother-in-law, all of whom she loved very dearly.
I had spent sometime with her during my vacation in Goa recently, which was in fact in December 2009 and in January 2010.
I last spoke to her on the phone just 2 days ago. And whenever I called, her favourite parting words would invariably always be: "I'm praying for you, my son, may God bless you".
Who do we all have to pray for us,
and worry about us now?
None perhaps in this world,
but from heaven surely yes,
and those will be the kind of prayers,
and comforting words
from our loving
Benedicta Caetana Barboza
Born: 26.09.1934
Died: 29.06.2010
(wife of late Fredrick Charles Barboza,
composer and lyricist of Konkani songs,
and actor of Konkani Tiatr)
Rest in Peace.
Rest in Peace.
We will miss you.
We will cherish your memories
and treasure the legacy you have left behind.
Tony Fernandes
Mississauga, ON. Canada
23 comments:
Very beautiful and touching. So many memories of Nani. I still cannot believe she is no more.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you. May her soul rest in peace.
Roy, Sheila Castelino and family
Tony, both Charmaine and I consider ourselves to be truly lucky to have met and spent those wonderful moments with Benedicta in her hospital room during our recent visit to Goa. Her spontaneous reaction to our visit was overwhelming to say the least leaving us in awe with her serenity and that wonderful smile.
Her joie de vivre was there for all to see and although our visit was short and sweet, she was more concerned with our welfare and well being, never giving us the impression that she was in a hospital room.
We will always remember her for those encouraging words she asked to convey to Dahlia and Tristan.
May she rest in peace!
Charmaine and Rey
Even though in some ways, I knew it was coming, one is never truly prepared for the death of a loved one. The past few months, I thought I had braced myself ready for the news and now that the time has come, I find myself unprepared for the onslaught of emotion.
She was a head strong, independent woman and a great role model. Only as an adult did I realize that we had so much in common. She will be missed.
We would like to convey our heartfelt condolences and prayers to the whole family. May God give you all the courage to bear this great loss. May her soul rest in peace.
Terry, Iona & Tania Abreo
It is never easy to lose a loved one. Hope you are all comforted knowing that your mother had a fulfilling life and is now with her maker. God bless you all and grant you comfort in your sorrow.
Felix & Kathy Colaco
Our thoughts and prayers are with each one of you at this sad time - we pray that God grant her soul Eternal Rest.
Cliff & Mena D'Lima
"Death leaves a heartache No one can heal; Love leaves a memory No one can steal."
My loving mum is not with us anymore. All we have now are her precious memories.
Mum was a very special person. She has been our source of strength and guiding light. She steered us in the right direction even when times were tough. She taught us to keep our faith strong no matter what adversaries came our way.
Mum loved dad unconditionally and supported him through all his endeavours, silently standing by him rock solid through good days and bad. Mum spent all her life caring for her whole family and would often go out of her way to help other people in need. Her generosity knew no bounds. Mum loved all her grandchildren so earnestly and unendingly that absolutely nothing could shake its tenacity or endurance.
Mum’s amazing zest for life and immense capacity to love helped us overcome all kinds of adversity, thus making us stronger and united as a family. Mum was the glue that held our family together. She is the reason why as siblings we share a special bond which has withstood the tides of time.
My only regret in life is that mum and dad could not visit us in Canada. Mum is in heaven now with her beloved Freddy, where there is peace and no more pain. We loved mum with all our hearts and will truly miss her and her parting sentence “Baba my prayers are always with you”.
"Those we love don’t go away,
They walk beside us everyday,
Unseen, unheard, but always near,
Still loved, still missed and very dear."
Dorothy Soares, Mississauga, Canada.
Our heartfelt condolences to u and ur family.
We pray to the Almighty Lord to give u courage,strenght and support.
The news was extremely upsetting, and it is dfficult to come to terms with the fact that she is no more. She was so lively and bubbly...always remember the times we would go to Goa we would shout out to her whenever we passed her. Kindly accept our heartfelt condolences. She will remain forever in our hearts.
Francis & Aida Fernandes
Dear Edna, Lourdes, Dorothy, Cynthia, Jude and your families,
This website is a very beautiful tribute to her. Please accept our deepest condolences on the loss of your beloved mother. No one else can truly feel the sorrow that you bear. At times like this, its hard to find the words that best convey the many thoughts of sympathy our hearts would like to say but may it somehow help to know that though our words are few, we are thinking of you and share this loss with you.
May her soul rest in peace.
Mario, Desiree, Angelica & Marushka
She was quite simply, lovely. She always will be. I believe that you were all so blessed to have her as your own. And we were all equally blessed to have had the opportunity to share a bit of that.
Our love and prayers are with you all.
Reggie, Cicy, Ara and Rosemary
Please accept our deepest condolences on your loss. Our prayers are with you at this difficult time. May her soul rest in peace.
Derrick, Oreska, Dan and Olivia
Heartfelt sympathies on the passing away of your beloved mum. May her soul rest in peace.
Anand, Arlene and Andrei
Dorothy, Edna, Cynthia, Lourdes and Jude,
To you all and your families, we send out deepest sympathies on the passing of your dear mum. Having been through a loss of someone so dear, I know how you all must feel. The pain does not go away, but time eventually will comfort you. Know that she will be with you and your memories of her you will cherish till you all meet again. Take care. Auriole, Joe, Katie and Nick.
Our thoughts and prayers are with each one of you.
Venancio, Bella Fernandes and Family.
Dear Edna/Tony, Lourdes, Dorothy,
Cynthia, Jude and your families,
We didn't know your Mum, but having met the
lovely kids she brought up so beautifully, is a
measure of how wonderful she must have been.
It's month today, all that's left are memories.......
We'd like to dedicate a verse to her, a remembrance of how her spirit lives on -
"She walks with us down quiet paths,
And speaks in wind and rain,
For the magic power of memory,
Gives her back to us again....."
Clara & Francis.
Edna, Lourdes, Dorothy, Cynthia, Jude and families,
We were deeply saddened to hear of your loss. Our thoughts are with you all.
Let your memories be your comfort.
Time heals.
May her soul rest in peace.
Cedric, Arlene, Tiffany and Bradley
If there's anything that is more connecting of herself to God, or if there's anything that is synonymous with her daily chores to remember her by, then these would primarily be prayers: her prayer books, rosary, and a statue of Mother Mary.
Dear Dorothy and Francis,
Our deepest sympathies on the passing
of your Mum to her Eternal Life.
May her soul rest in peace.
Lorrayne,Lance,Robert & Ryan Pereira
On remembering her famous quote, after being asked how she was doing in health, just a few days before she passed away, she said to me over the phone:
"I'm doing good, Baba, - in a rupee, I'm 12 annas fine." were her exact words.
It was her metaphorical way of saying that she was 75 per cent okay. This can be explained by the fact that the old currency of the Indian sub-continent was known as a rupee. It consisted of 16 annas, thereby 12 annas would make three-quarters or 75 per cent of a rupee.
What an intelligent way of her putting it!
Miss you Mum.
When you have a Mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been. ~Robert Brault
A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan
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