Obituary of Rosa I.C. Branquinho

Rosa I.C. Branquinho, 85, of Peabody, passed away Friday evening at the Rosewood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Peabody surrounded by her loving daughters. She was the beloved wife of the late Sebastiao T. M. Branquinho, who passed away in 2006. Rosa was born in Gaviao, Portugal on January 6, 1928, the daughter of the late Antonio and Isabel Ana Crisostomo. She was raised and educated in Portugal and worked as an elementary school teacher until making her home in Peabody 37 years ago. After moving to the U.S., she worked at GTE Sylvania in Salem, where she worked in quality control until her retirement. Rosa and her late husband, Sebastiao, founded the Rancho Folclorico Group and the Grupo Etnografico Portugal dos Pequeninos, in Peabody, which are Portuguese folklore dancing groups based on Portuguese traditions and customs. Throughout the years Rosa taught a lot of youth not only Portuguese folklore dancing, but also the Portuguese traditions and the heritages. She was also a communicant of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Peabody, where she was very active in fundraising for the church. Some of her other interests were cooking, baking, and gardening, but most important to her was spending time with her family, and just being surrounded by the people she loved. She is survived by her children, Maria C. Branquinho and her husband Manuel V. Cunha of Peabody, MA, and Fatima Branquinho of Peabody. She is also survived by a brother and his wife, Henrique and Palmira Crisostomo of Peabody, MA., and her sister Amelia Silva of Portugal. She also leaves behind a cherished friend, Tania Machado, who she babysat for many years, and loved her as her own granddaughter. Besides her husband, she was predeceased by her siblings, Maria Santos, Leopoldina Caldeira, and Manuel, Tome, Afonso, and Jose Crisostomo. A visitation will be held Today, Monday, July 15, from 4:00 until 8:00 PM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St., Peabody. Her funeral will be held on Tuesday, July 16 at 8:00 AM at the Funeral Home followed by a Mass in Our Lady of Fatima Church, 50 Walsh Ave., Peabody at 9:00 AM. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN38105. Please visit www.ccbfuneral.com ,for directions, online obituary, and memorial guestbook.