Obituary of Ermelinda DeMelo

Ermelinda Couto DeMelo, a woman devoted to her family, passed away unexpectedly on Friday May 5, 2017. She was 88 years old. Ermelinda was born in Maia, a small community on the island of Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugal. She married her husband Joao in 1949 and they had 2 of their 3 children in Maia. In July of 1966, Ermelinda, her husband Joao, and their 2 daughters, Graça and Dulce, immigrated to the United States and settled in Somerville, Ma where her son Richard was born. She later moved to Burlington, Ma in 1980 where she lived until her passing. Ermelinda worked as a teacher’s aide for 10 years and later retired from the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, where she had worked for 15 years. Ermelinda’s life revolved around God and her family. Her faith was the bedrock of her life. It shaped how she viewed the world and guided her relationships with those around her. She loved nothing more than having all her family together around her table enjoying Sunday dinners, the holidays, or just for a visit. Her 8 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren lit up her life, and in her eyes, they could do no wrong. Ermelinda was a woman of great strength, who was determined to live independently until her passing, and was a source of wisdom, strength, and love for all her family. Ermelinda was the beloved wife of 68 years of Joao T. DeMelo. She was the loving mother of Maria Graça Hammond & her husband Charles of Billerica, Maria Dulce Smith & her husband Walter of Burlington, and Richard Melo & his wife Lisa of Burlington. She was predeceased by her brother; Monsignor Agostinho Tavares. She was the proud grandmother of Joshua & Lucas Hammond, Raquel Gill, Sarah, Katrina, Max, & Andrea Smith, and Noah Melo and great grandmother of Everly and Kaylee Gill. Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (exit 34 off Rt. 128/95, Woburn side) on Monday, May 8 from 6-8 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, May 9 at 9 a.m. in St. Anthony’s Church, 400 Cardinal Medeiros Ave, Cambridge. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited. The Burial will be private. Memorials in Ermelinda’s name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 309 Waverley Oaks Road, Waltham, MA 02452 or www.alz.org//manh. For directions obituary & online guestbook see www.saintanthonyparish.com or www.sullivanfuneralhome.net