Gabriel Antonio Carreiro, known as Gabe, a Portuguese immigrant who created his own American dream without ever forgetting his Portuguese roots, passed away peacefully on Saturday morning, January 17, 2026. He was 80 years old.

Gabe was born in the small town of Água de Pau on the island of São Miguel in the Azores, Portugal. His family worked as farmers on a vineyard, and as a young man he later served his mandatory military service in the Portuguese Army. While Gabe was serving in the military, his mother, father, and sister immigrated to the United States, settling in Somerville. After completing his service, he followed his parents to America at the age of 22.

Even before arriving in the United States, Gabe had secured a job with the William Wetmore Company in Somerville. Before he could make the journey, however, his father passed away suddenly, making it even more important for Gabe to come to America to be with and assist his mother. Gabe would go on to work for the William Wetmore Company for his entire career. The company specialized in packaging, and Gabe’s role was to design and build custom packaging for the shipping of specialized and sensitive equipment, including medical equipment, machinery, and even airplane wings. He remained with the company as it expanded from Somerville to Woburn.

Gabe was extremely talented with his hands, possessing an engineer’s mind and a perfectionist’s approach. He loved the many challenges his job created and took pride in developing logical, precise solutions. He was deeply loved by his fellow employees and highly respected by his managers.

Gabe was a devoted Futebol (soccer) player and fan from childhood. He played as a youth and was a member of the team that represented São Miguel Island. His position was goalie, often considered the quarterback of a soccer team—a role that required immense responsibility, mental toughness, split-second decision-making, and a willingness to sacrifice one’s body for the good of the team. When he first came to America, he once purchased tickets expecting to see Futebol, only to be disappointed when football players, not soccer players, took the field.

With encouragement from his wife, Gabe went on to coach his sons’ soccer teams for many years. Coaching allowed him to strengthen his bond with his son and share his extensive knowledge of the game with the youth of Burlington, many of whom had parents who had never played soccer competitively. As a coach, Gabe focused on teaching technical skills while fostering teamwork, strategy, confidence, an appreciation for the sport, and—most importantly—having fun. His love of coaching ran so deep that after finishing coaching his own son, he returned to the 10-year-old level to coach an entirely new group of players. In total, Gabe devoted nearly 20 years to Burlington Youth Soccer, significantly raising skill levels and teaching Olympic development. A part  of his Futebol heart always remained in Portugal with his beloved team, Benfica.  He always made sure that he had satellite access or subscriptions so he would never miss a game.

Gabe never lost the roots and traditions he learned as a youth in Portugal. He created his own winery in a large portion of his basement, using the same methods he had learned while working alongside his father in the vineyard. His winemaking went far beyond a casual hobby. He meticulously tracked his grapevines, monitoring sunlight and water levels, and carefully chose the perfect time to harvest in order to produce the best wine possible. Gabe crafted a wide variety of wines, including cranberry wine, white and red blends, but he was best known for his champagne. He produced so much wine that he proudly shared it with family and friends, asking only that the bottles be returned so he could reuse them for the next batch. He even dabbled in making beer.

Another of Gabe’s passions was maintaining his property. His lawn was greener than Fenway Park, and he spent countless hours fertilizing, mowing, trimming, and ensuring not a single blade of crabgrass dared enter his yard. His flower gardens were spectacular, and his vegetable garden yielded such abundance that family, friends, and neighbors were frequent recipients of the fruits of his labor.

There were few people like Gabe. He was meticulous and strove for perfection in all that he did. You always knew where he stood on an issue. He could be overwhelming, boisterous, and the life of the party. Giving was how he showed his love and appreciation, and he never wanted to be the recipient himself. He was fiercely protective of his family, yet a complete cream puff when it came to his grandchildren. Though he could appear formidable from the outside, he had the biggest heart within. Gabe will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

Gabe was the devoted husband of Annette (Adriano) Carreiro for 54 years. They met at a Portuguese Festival where they had their first dance and the rest was history. They married nine months later and created a wonderful life and family together. He was the proud father and father-in-law of Valerie Mahoney and her husband Joshua of Billerica and Matthew Carreiro and his wife Corie of Billerica. He was the proud VaVo to Christopher Carreiro, Madelyn Carreiro, and Claire Mahoney. He simply loved every moment shared with them. He was the brother of Maria Lucy Kreho and her husband Ed of Northford, CT. He was the brother-in-law of Many and Fatima Adriano of the Azores, Portugal. He was the proud uncle of Timothy Fernandez, Jason Fernandez, Kristin Sposato, and Jeanine Briggs.

Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn Street, Burlington on Wednesday, January 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. Funeral from the Sullivan Funeral Home on Thursday, January 22 at 9 a.m. Followed by Mass of Christian Burial at St. Margaret Church in St. Veronica Parish, 111 Winn Street, Burlington at 10 a.m. Services will conclude with a burial at Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Gabriel’s name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. For online guestbook and video tribute see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net