Mary "Connie" Chaves, 90, of Fall River, wife of the late John Chaves, passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at Hope Health Hulitar Hospice in Providence, Rhode Island. Born in Fenais da Luz, Azores, she was the daughter of the late Guilherme Cabral DeSousa and the late Deolinda (Martins-do Vale) DeSousa.

Prior to her retirement, she worked at Santoro, a local textile company, as a machine operator for many years. Connie was a very active volunteer at Saint Michael's Church in Fall River, where she participated in the Holy Rosary Society, the Holy Ghost Committee and Annual Parish Feast Committee. During the Parish Feast, she assisted all the children with choosing their costumes and placing them in line to march in the procession. Besides her devotion to Saint Michael's Church, she also took part in the Grande Festas do Espirito Santo at Kennedy Park, was a member of the Fall River Heritage Park Choir and a recipient of the Marian Medal given by Cardinal Shawn O'Malley. Most notably, Mary loved spending quality time with her family.

She leaves her son John W. Chaves and his fiancé Anne Mendes of Dartmouth; her sister Lucia Fairhurst and her husband David, of Westport; her brother Antonio M. DeSousa and his wife Isabel, of Swansea; and several nieces and nephews. Connie was predeceased by her brother Manuel Cabral DeSousa.

Her Funeral Mass was celebrated on Saturday, January 3rd, in St. Michael's Church followed by her committal at St. Patrick Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Connie's memory to St. Michael's School or the St. Michael's Soup Kitchen.

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 health concerns 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!