Maria Natalia (Furtado) Melo

FALL RIVER… Maria Natalia (Furtado) Melo, 79, of Fall River passed away Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at Charlton Memorial Hospital, Fall River.

She was the widow of Joao P. Melo to whom she had been married for 53 years, prior to his passing.

Mrs. Melo was born in Ponta Garca, Sao Miguel, Azores a daughter of the late Manuel Furtado Ribeiro and Hermelinda da Encarnacao Henrique and had lived in Fall River since 1980.

Mrs. Melo was an active parishioner of the former Our Lady of the Angels Church and then Good Shephard Parish. A loving wife and mother, her greatest joy was spending time with her family along with cooking and cleaning. Not only did she enjoy cooking and cleaning, she also got pleasure from the beautiful garden her husband cared for outside their home. Along with her husband, she was a fan of Sporting CP.

Survivors include her children: Maria da Conceicao “Connie” Perdigao (husband: Joe) of Tiverton, Maria Fatima Roque (husband: Manny) of Westport, Jon Melo of Fall River and Fernanda Botelho (husband: Paul) of Fall River; her grandchildren: Brittany, Kyle, Brandon, Tyler, Jordan, Taylor and Nathan; her sister: Maria Jose Furtado of Tiverton; her brothers: Manuel Furtado of New Bedford and Jose Furtado of Hamilton, Canada; several nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Maria C. Perdigao, Humberto Furtado and Joao Henrique Furtado.

Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, private services are entrusted to the Oliveira Funeral Home, 2064 South Main St., Fall River, MA 02724. A memorial mass will be held at a later date, to be announced by the family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Maria’s name to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, 34 Washington Street, Suite 200, Wellesley Hills MA 02481, www.curealzfund.org