Obituary of Rita Martha Fernandes

FERNANDES, Rita Martha

Passed away suddenly but peacefully in her 85th year on July 1st, 2020 at Bethany Lodge, Unionville in the presence of her beloved husband Anthony Fernandes.

Rita also known as Martha by her family was born in Karachi, Pakistan. Her parents were originally from Goa, India and imparted a strong Roman Catholic faith that she passionately devoted herself to.

She married Tony and they were blessed with three daughters. They made the courageous decision to better their lives and those of their children by immigrating to Toronto in 1970. They maintained their strong Goan roots in Canada but also travelled back home to be with friends and family as much as possible. This year they celebrated both 60 years of marriage and 50 years in Canada.

Martha is fondly remembered by her sister Eliza, her brother Joseph, her children Lorraine (Tim), Audrey (Peter), Alexandria (Alan), and her grandchildren Connor, Spencer, Carly, Harrison, Mitchell and Emma. She is predeceased by her parents Anthony & Felicidade Rodrigues, her sister Stella, and brothers Tatetu and Simon.

Martha was an outstanding and resilient woman who cared for her family tirelessly and opened her heart. and home to loved ones, especially those new to the country and immigrating to Canada. She always en-sured everyone was well fed, often with traditional Goan dishes and sweets. But her greatest pride and joy were her grandchildren and she loved them deeply. She will be truly missed by her friends and family  and will always be remembered as a loving, selfless individual.

The family wishes to extend their gratitude towards all the dedicated staff and frontline workers at Bethany Lodge Unionville and Amica Unionville.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to their local church, St Patrick’s Parish in Markham, via the link https://community.archtoronto.org/page.aspx?pid=405.

Our apologies, but due to the pandemic we will be holding invitation only for the visitation and burial ceremony. The visitation will be held at the Dixon-Garland Funeral Home, 166 Main Street Markham North, Markham and a gravesite prayer service will take place at Christ the King Cemetery, 7770 Steeles Ave E, Markham on Saturday July 11th, 2020.

We appreciate your understanding of these restrictions at this time. For access to the services we have created two platforms for live viewing of the burial. Please contact one of the following individuals for the link: Alexandria Fernandes Hoyt at afernandes_hoyt@hotmail.com; Connor Kennedy at connorkennedy06@gmail.com or Harrison Lee at harrisonlee63@gmail.com.