Obituary of Maria Cardoso Fialho

Maria do Carmo Fialho passed away peacefully on March 11, 2022.  She was 92 years old and a deeply beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and aunt.   Maria was born on March 22, 1929, in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira, Azores, Portugal, where she also met and married her late husband, Armando C. Fialho.  In 1959, Maria and her husband moved to Brazil with their two young daughters, Michelle and Amanda. They settled in São Paulo, Brazil, where their son, George, was later born.  During the years that Maria and her family lived in Brazil, Maria worked as a talented embroiderer and seamstress and also co-managed the restaurant she and her husband owned. In December 1972, the family moved to the United States and settled in Elizabeth, New Jersey.  Maria lived in Elizabeth for nearly 50 years before moving to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.   Maria was beautiful, strong, caring, and devoted to her family.  She was an exceptionally good cook and some of her family’s favorite dishes included her alcatra, caldo verde, and filhoses. Maria was also incredibly artistic - she loved to paint, write poetry, and could play the violin.  Maria’s warmth and generosity extended beyond her family and friends.  She volunteered at a local hospital for years and also donated regularly to several charities.  Maria will be missed by her loving children Amanda Santos and George Fialho, her daughter-in-law, Heloisa Fialho, her grandchildren Christine Ricardo, Edward Santos, Andrew Santos, and Marcus Fialho, her great-grandchildren, Maple Santos and Felix Santos, her grandson-in-law Ronaldo Madeira, her granddaughter-in-law Megan Gulick, her sister Madalena, and her niece Jacinta Rocha.  She was preceded in death by her husband Armando C. Fialho, and her daughter, Michelle Ricardo.