Maria F. (Mota) Gonsalves, 73, of Fall River, widow of James Gonsalves, fiancée of Faustino Machado, passed away on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, after a short illness. Born in Fenais da Luz, St. Michael, Azores, a daughter of the late Evaristo Pereira Mota and the late Almorinda (Moniz) Mota, she emigrated to Newark, NJ, in 1956, then moving to Fall River in 1965 where she lived most of her life.

She was employed as a certified nursing assistant for many years, at Charlton Memorial Hospital for 9 years, and also had worked at Southpointe Rehab and Skilled Nursing Center where she was certified in Alzheimer's care. She was a member the former St. Bernadette Church.

Maria enjoyed crocheting and watching her morning TV shows.

Besides her fiancé, she is survived by: her daughter, Mary Margaret Coutinho of New Bedford, with whom Maria lived for the past few months during her illness; two siblings, Jose Mota of New Jersey and Inez Calouro of Pennsylvania; two grandchildren, Brandon Coutinho and Holly Beth Copeland; and several nieces and nephews. She was also a sister of the late Gilda Calouro and Maria Jesus Rocha.

Her Funeral Mas was celebrated on Tuesday, June 7th, in St. Anthony of Padua Church followed by her private cremation. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Maria's memory to a charity of your choice.

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!