Ilidia Da Silva

Ilidia Da Silva passed away May 1, 2012, at her home in Watsonville. She was 72. Born to the late Antonio Christiano and Leonor Da Silva on the Island of Faial in the Azores, Ilidia immigrated to the United States in 1962 after the famous Capelinhos volcanic eruption. She was the first of her family to do so.

Ilidia was an accomplished realtor and businesswoman in Santa Cruz County for over 40 years. She loved gardening, collecting ceramic pigs, and traveling. She visited destinations such as Hawaii, the Azores, and Hong Kong on multiple occasions. She lived life to the fullest and could often be seen driving her silver Mercedes SLK wearing a fur coat, red lipstick, and her favorite cowboy boots.

Ilidia is survived by her partner of 18 years, Steve Mine; her children, Adriana Zehner, Charlie Soares, and Natasha Sousa; sisters, Leanor and Marie; and her grandchildren, Monique, Samantha, Jourdan, Spenser, Joshua, and Jolene. She is preceded in death by her brother, Christiano.

Visitation will be Monday from 5 to 9 p.m. at Our Lady Help of Christians (Valley Catholic) Church with a recitation of the rosary at 7:00 p.m.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, 10:00 a.m., also at the church. Burial will follow at Watsonville Catholic Cemetery. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Mehl’s Colonial Chapel.

For the complete article see the 05-03-2012 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 05-03-2012 paper.

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