SILVEIRA, Maria Salome Silveira

He  was born in the town of Agualva, Terceira, Acores on January 26, 1936. After her marriage and prior to emigrating to Canada she gave birth to four children, three of which survived. Those three children, along with her husband, accompanied her to Canada in 1966. With a lot of pain, she left behind her mother, Rosa, and her five siblings. Later that year she gave birth to a fifth child.

On arrival in Canada, supported by the immigrant community, she was the quintessential mother. Even though she did not speak English, she demonstrated her absolute resilience in providing for her children.

A non-English speaking immigrant’s journey and their adaptation to Canada is not well understood unless a person has lived that journey. Maria Salomé lived that journey, struggling to protect, provide for, and enrich the lives of her children. She worked in companies in Cambridge’s textile industry and then chose to work at Hostess Potato chips now called Frito-Lay. While there, she developed lasting bonds with many of her co-workers and provided great stories for her grandchildren, who benefitted from some of the potato-chip bags brought home.

While working and raising her family, she demonstrated her many artistic gifts to her children and grandchildren. On happy days while cleaning her home, she would sing Fado songs. She was a professional embroiderer in Terceira. She designed and made clothing and quilts for her family. She also completed many a crocheted project for her family. Without question, she was, to all of us a great baker. Featured in the local newspaper for her delicious tasting “massa sovada” (sweet bread), her family always looked forward to her baking delicacies.

Maria Salomé never gave up on life, even when adversity came knocking at her door so many times. To the very end she faced that adversity with a smile, a joke, and great lines that made us laugh.

During her last six years of life, she was cared for by St. Luke’s Place staff, many of whom were also immigrants to Canada. The staff who regularly cared for her became her extended family and cared for her with respect and love.
Maria Salomé’s lasting legacy was her love for her family. She leaves her children: Mary Joe (Tony), Berta (Larry), Jose (Flora), Elizabete; her grandchildren, Catarina (Mike), Mandie (Isaac), Lindsay-Anne (Jamil), John, and Zachary, and six great-granddaughters who called her biz-avó : Eliana, Adriana, Marielle, Phoebe, Leia, and Ammie. She also leaves behind two loving sisters Fernanda and Julieta and sisters-in-law, Teresa, Mariazinha, Maria Jose, and Maria and many nephews and nieces.

We loved our mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and sisters-in law. When she passed, ever so peacefully on November 2, 2025, she was surrounded by that love. Her contributions to her family will never be forgotten.
Resting at Corbett Funeral Home, 95 Dundas St. N., Cambridge, on Wednesday November 5, 2025, from 5-9p.m. Rosary will be recited at 8p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Our Lady of Fatima Roman Catholic Church, 185 Elgin St., S. Cambridge on Thursday November 6, 2025, at 10a.m. Interment will follow at Parklawn Cemetery. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Alzheimer Society would be appreciated by the family.

You are at peace now! Thank you mãe, avó, biz-avó–, irmã, tia and cunhada!