Francisco Estacio, 82, of Fall River, passed away unexpectedly on April 1, 2012. He was surrounded by his daughters, son, son-in-laws, grand-children & great grand-children when he drifted off to be with the Lord. He was born to the late Francisco & Maria Rosalina Estacio on December 1, 1929 in Sao Miguel, Acores (Ajuda, Bretanha) & immigrated to this country in 1977, where he was a machine operator at Jo-Ann Fabrics for 17 years. He was the beloved husband of Maria Almeida Estacio, the father of Goretti Mota, Olivia Sousa, Maria de Jesus Avelar, Francisco Estacio and the late Margarida Estacio and father-in-law of Jose Mota, Jose Sousa and Joao Avelar and the late Alzira Estacio. He was also the brother of the late Maria Pimentel, Mariana Freitas, Manuel Estacio, Jose Estacio, and Tiago Estacio. He had 9 grandchildren and 5 great-grand children, whom he loved and was very proud of. His funeral Mass was celebrated on April 4, 2012 at Espirito Santo Church. He was laid to rest at Notre Dame Cemetery located on Stafford Road in Fall River.

A Celebration of Life

December 1, 1929 – April 1, 2012

I want to first of all extend my gratitude to all the relatives, and friends who have come today to honor my grandfather, Francisco Estacio, a person we have all come to love and cherish for many years. The amount of people who have shown up to pay their last respects is only a testimony to the lives he personally touched.

All of us have known him in a variety of roles: father, husband, uncle, cousin, grandfather, and great friend. I have been privileged to know him as my grandfather.
Upon reflecting what I would say about the uniqueness of my grandfather, I have chosen, as best as I know how, to stay away from trite expressions. Instead, my desire is for you to see through the eyes of a grandchild who has learned and still learning to love, appreciate, and honor him as I have grown older.

There is no single word to choose from to describe the wonderful man my grandfather was. However there are few that come to mind when I think of him; caring, strong, hard working, humorous, encourager, man of great faith, and story-teller. And how he loved to tell stories. I think I speak for myself and the rest of my family when I say that he loved to tell stories; stories of his life in Sao Miguel, his early life with my grandmother and his life in general. I know we heard them many times. I remember my cousins saying "hey, I just listened for about two hours, it's your turn now." I'm sure that we would all give anything to hear his stories just one more time.

I have so many memories of this wonderful man, but one of the earliest memories I have of my grandfather was visiting him and my grandmother every weekend with my parents. As a 4 or 5 year-old this was the highlight of my week. Our family would gather at their home on Pitman Street and we would be there all day. He loved seeing his family together. We would spend countless hours under the vine. His vine. His vine that he was so proud of. And his wine! I remember him saying to us of all the time "many try but they just can't make wine like mine. It's the best in Fall River.

He was such a special man. He was the pillar of our family. No matter what our circumstances may have been, he knew how to reach the very depths of our hearts, even as we hid behind layers of pain. He knew how to make us smile, especially when we needed that extra word of encouragement. Whenever one of us went through any type of loss in our lives, he would call, put things in perspective, and then encourage us to look ahead for what God had in store for our future.

He was a man of great faith. He loved God and this church (Espirito Santo Church). He was so devoted and even when he couldn't he wanted to be here. Our family is so sad because he passed so suddenly and without being able to speak to us. But if he phad to pick where he wanted to be when he was called by the Lord, he would have chosen to be here, in His house.

Looking at the faces in the church today, I know is only a glimpse of the many lives my grandfather touched. Unfortunately, I don't know all of you as my grandfather once did; nevertheless, if I sat down with each of you and listened to your life story, I know I would see the imprints of my grandfather's presence in your life.

Anyone who knew my grandfather knew of his generosity, work ethic, humility and selflessness. He demonstrated these traits again and again throughout his life.

Some people will say that you can tell the greatness of man's life by material wealth or glorious estates. I say the greatness of a man is the legacy he leaves behind. My grandfather may have never been rich with money, but he touched the lives of so many, especially his family and left us with such precious life lessons. With that said, my grandfather was a very rich man.

Vavo, you will never see the blessings you placed within our hearts, but I do know this: one we will meet you again in heaven. And we won't be alone. From this day forward, many will know you from the stories and memories we have of you.

A Golden heart stopped beating,
hard working hands at rest.

God broke our hearts to prove to us He only takes the best.

We love you vavo.