April 21, 1942 – January 1, 2025
Lina Rosa Furtado was born on April 21, 1942 in Cedros, Faial. She passed away peacefully on January 01, 2025 surrounded by her family. Lina is survived by her husband of 62 years, Manuel Furtado, her sole surviving sister, Beatriz Machado (Jose) of San Jose, California, her children Carlos Furtado (Idalina), Nelia Furtado, and Nancy Furtado (Richard). Also, her granddaughters Madison Vecero (Shane), Sydney Furtado and Abigail Bock and their boyfriends, Matthew Lopacinski and Dante Rego, all of whom were cherished by Lina. She was also a devoted godmother and aunt to many nieces and nephews in California, Massachusetts, Azores and Cambridge. She was preceded in death by her siblings: Fatima Correia, Liduina Laranjo, Manuel Rosa, Ludvina Da Rosa, Emilia Furtado and Henry Rosa – who have welcomed her into Heaven with them.
Lina lived a simple life in Faial until she got married to Manuel in January of 1962. They emigrated to Canada in 1963 and settled in the town of Galt, ON with the help of her older sister, Liduina Laranjo. She started her career at Stauffer and Dobbie, a textile plant in Galt where she worked for six years. Then her favourite job at Hostess Potato Chips (known now as Frito Lay), where she loved her job as a packer. Many years later she struggled with losing her job to automation but worked out the rest of her career alongside her displaced co-workers at Windsor Wafers. After the initial struggles with integrating into a new country and culture, she faced long hours and years of hard work - all while raising a young family. She did so with such love, charm and dedication. Once retired, Lina and Manuel travelled extensively throughout the US & Canada. The capable co-pilot for Manuel, there wasn’t a road, highway, province or state she didn’t know of. If you needed directions, you asked Lina.
Lina loved and lived life to its fullest. She loved the most, she laughed the hardest and cared immensely for her family. Nothing was more fulfilling than her spending time with her three granddaughters. She balanced her husband’s travel desires with being present for the girls. Lina taught all of us, that a simple gift or gesture meant she was always thinking of us. There wasn’t a holiday that went by where we would find a little something for each of her kids and grandkids. She was in her glory when surrounded by her family during dinners, BBQ’s, birthdays, holidays, etc. When the boys started coming around, she saw that her family was growing, and Lina was ecstatic. It meant there were more people to love.
Today we honour Lina Rosa Furtado. She is sorely missed but will never be forgotten.
Visitation will be held at T Little Funeral Home, 223 Main Street Cambridge on Sunday, January 5th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A Funeral Mass will take place at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 210 South Street, Cambridge on Monday, January 6th at 11:00 a.m. with interment to follow at Parklawn Cemetery. A reception will take place at the funeral home.
Fond memories may be shared through the funeral home at www.tlittlefuneralhome.com
