MARTINS, Jose dos Reis Moniz - Jose dos Reis Moniz Martins passed away peacefully on October 13, 2021 at 86 years of age, surrounded by loved ones.
He was born on January 6, 1935, in the small coastal village of Calhetas on the island of Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugal where he was one of seven children.
Named Jose dos Reis (“Joe of the Kings”) to mark his arrival on the day of Epiphany – Three Kings Day, was an honour that he enjoyed sharing particularly at his birthday celebrations.
Born during the Depression and growing up during World War II, he was no stranger to hard times, which shaped his outlook and his life. He embraced hard work, willingly made sacrifices, developed an extraordinary level of resourcefulness and was grateful for his strength and health to have been able to rise to the challenges of his life.
As a young man, he served in the Portuguese Military and although he was offered a position to stay on, he decided to return to his hometown to pursue his passion for farming. There, he met his wife Maria Gabriela, they married in 1960 and began building a life together.
On the island, he was an avid and successful farmer and proceeded to proudly grow his family to 5 kids. With the support of his brothers, he immigrated to Canada in 1970. In 1973, he reunited his young family in their new home in Canada, where his 6th child was born. He and Maria set off together on their new adventure in search of opportunities for themselves and their children, and worked hard to build a new life in Canada.
In Canada, he worked as a machinist until he retired at the age of 66, all the while embracing his love of the land as a hobby farmer until his final days. His annual harvest was not only enough to sustain his family of 8 but there was always extra for him to generously share with family, friends and neighbours.
He was very proud of his heritage, maintaining his traditions and culture, and passed them along to the next generation. Humble and proud of all that he accomplished, he was most proud of his children and grandchildren whom he dearly loved and the life he was able to provide. His philosophical nature brought insight to many and he was generous with his very pragmatic advice. He was tough but also had a gentleness to him, as well as a charming wittiness that would make us all laugh. He was never far from home but he was always busy in the garden, on his own adventure. On any given day, he could be found in a tree, chasing a rabbit or getting sprayed by a skunk. He had his way of making all our lives interesting and he will be dearly missed but definitely not forgotten.
Loving Husband, Father of 6, Grandfather to 12 and Great Grandfather to 3. Jose is survived by his loving wife Maria Gabriela (nee: da Cunha), his children Joe, Maria, Manny, Teresa, John, Connie and his many grandchildren David, Daniel, Melissa, Victoria, Matthew, Julia, Daniella, Alexander, Joseph, Nicole, Claire, and Michael. He is survived by four of his seven siblings, Jaime, Guilherme, Joao, Virginio, and pre-deceased by his two siblings, Manuel and Maria dos Anjos.
Arrangements are entrusted with the Scott Funeral Home – Brampton Chapel
In lieu of flowers, in loving memory of Jose, the family has asked for donations to be made to the Peel Memorial Dialysis Unit.
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