Obituary of Isabel (Matos) Bernardo

Isabel Bernardo, 92, of Peabody, died Friday afternoon at Beverly Hospital surrounded by her loving family following a brief illness. She was the devoted wife of the late Jose Bernardo. She was a former resident of Brentwood Rehab and Healthcare Center in Danvers. Born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, she was the daughter of the late Antonio and Augusta (De Jesus) Matos. She was raised and educated in Portugal and later immigrated with her family to the United States in 1961 and has been a resident of Peabody for the past 55 years. Isabel was employed part time with various companies over the years, but her main priority was cleaning houses throughout her neighborhood area. She also enjoyed walking, singing, dancing and playing miniature golf. Isabel was a devote Catholic who had a strong faith and was a loyal parishioner of St. John’s Church in Peabody but, what was most important to her, was spending time with her family and sharing in all of their activities. She will be dearly missed by all. She is survived by her three sons, Anthony and his wife Rose Bernardo of Peabody, Herman Bernardo of Raymond, NH, Dino and his wife Carla Bernardo of San Antonio, TX; her two daughters and sons-in-law, Maria and John Zablocki of Melrose, and Rose and Antonio Nogueira of Salem, and is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her daughter, Maria Bernardo, and by her brothers, Fermino, James, and Domingos Matos, and a daughter-in-law Connie Bernardo. Her funeral will be held on Wednesday at 9:00 AM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St., Peabody, followed by her Funeral Mass at 10:00 AM at St. John’s Church, Peabody to which relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday from 4:00 until 8:00 PM. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Assoc., 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472, 1-800-272-3900 or on-line www.alz.org