Cecilia R. Pereira 89, of Merrimac and formerly Assonet, loving wife of the late Leonard Pereira, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 7, 2023 at home with her children by her side. Born in Fall River on January 17, 1934, she was the daughter of the late Albert O. Araujo and Filomena R. (Raposo) Araujo .

Cecilia was a 1951 graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School and went on to work as a secretary for the CIA for a short time in Washington, D.C. She met her first husband and raised her family in Burlington, Vermont. She eventually returned to Fall River and reunited with her high school sweetheart, Len. Cee and Len spent the next 40 years together. They enjoyed Country music and attending concerts, crossword puzzles, shopping and eating out, but most importantly they loved spending time with family. Cecilia's children and grandchildren were her whole world and she made it a point to attend all family occasions including sports games and dance recitals. Cecilia also enjoyed regular luncheons with her group of high school girlfriends throughout the years. Cecilia and Len moved to Merrimac a few years ago to be closer to family where she made new friends at Regency Village including her dear friend, Linda Boudreau. Cecilia's bright smile and warm heart will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her.

She leaves her loving children, Lisa (Bill) DiGiuseppe of Newton, NH and Jack (Laurie) Detore of Burlington, VT; grandchildren Nicolas, Melissa and Christopher; stepdaughters Pamela (Jim) Burdick of Fall River, Nancy Pereira of Fall River and Jenifer Pereira-Weiss of Concord, CA; grandchildren Ryan, Samantha, India, Micah, Aja, Cade, Angelina, and Andrew; sister Leonor (Paul) Percy of Stowe, VT and sister-in-law Judy Araujo of Swansea; along with many nieces, nephews and cousins. Cecilia was preceded in death by her parents, grandmother Maria L. Raposo, brother Albert O. Araujo, Jr., brother-in-law Roger Hovey, sister-in-law Johann Detore, brother-in-law Roland Pereira, niece Susan Pereira Alves, nephew William Burdick and former husband John (Jack) Detore.

Following her cremation in New Hampshire, A Memorial Service for both her and her late husband, Leonard (who was cremated two years earlier), was held on Friday, October 27th, during a visitation period in our Fall River Chapel followed by their committal (including military honors for Len) at St. Patrick Cemetery in Fall River. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to your favorite charity.

Family members are always grateful for relatives and friends wishing to make in-person expressions of kindness and support. If you were unable to do so, because of this pandemic or any other reason, all are urged to express their sympathy online or by mail. To ensure that said condolences and/or sympathy cards reach the family, please always make sure that submissions online are made directly through the funeral home's website (www.silvafaria.com) and not through a third party. Thank you!