Manuel J. Tavares, 82, of Fall River, husband of the late Julia Tavares, passed away on March 4, 2023, at Charlton Memorial Hospital. He was the loving companion of Mary E. Arruda for the past nineteen years. Born in St. Michael Azores, a son of the late Manuel Tavares and the late Maria dos Anjos (Ferreira) Tavares, he emigrated to Fall River in 1968.

A body repairman for many years, Manuel retired from Carl's Collision in 2009, and had operated his own body repair shop, formerly of Bedford St, Fall River, for a number of years. An avid soccer fan, he also enjoyed following politics and keeping up with current events.

Besides Mary, Manuel is survived by: a son, Humberto Silva Tavares (wife Jennifer) of Rehoboth; two siblings, Lurdes Tavares (late husband Antonio Lapa) of New Hampshire and Fatima Tavares Araujo (husband Fernando) of Canada; two grandchildren, Cole Tavares and Julia Tavares; and many nieces and nephews. He was also a brother of the late Julberto Tavares (late wife Maria Jose Tavares), Jose Tavares (wife Eduarda Tavares of New Bedford), Fernanda Tavares, and Erene Tavares (late husband Joao Souza).

His Funeral Mass was celebrated on Friday, March 10th, in Espirito Santo Church followed by his committal at Notre Dame Cemetery.

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!