Obituary of Francelina (Sousa) Sylvester

Francelina (Sousa) Sylvester, 81, of Peabody, died Thursday evening at the Harborside Twin Oaks Nursing Center in Danvers after a long illness. She was the wife of the late Joseph M. Sylvester who died last October. She was born in Peabody on December 22, 1924, the daughter of the late Charles and Clarinda (Cunha) Sousa and was a lifelong resident of the city. She was a graduate of Peabody High School in 1941. She had been a sales clerk at the former Jordan Marsh Company store at the Northshore Shopping Center for over 25 years prior to her retirement in 1987. She and her husband had been very active in the building of Our Lady of Fatima Church. She was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Portuguese American War Veterans Post 1 of Peabody. Francelina loved to travel and was an avid shopper always looking for a good sale. She is survived by a son and daughter in law, Charles M. and Lisa Sylvester of Peabody, a daughter, Francine A. Johnson and Francis J. Ares both of Nashua, NH, a former son-in-law, Michael S. Johnson of Tyngsboro, a, a brother and sister-in-law, Charles and Beverly Sousa of Peabody, a sister, Alice Madruga of Peabody, 5 grandchildren, Victoria and her husband Paul Gallagher of So. Hadley, MA, Michael Johnson Jr. and his fiancé, Pamela Babcock of Tyngsboro, Thomas, Daniel and Bethany Sylvester all of Peabody, 2 great grandchildren, Ashley Gallagher and Joshua Babcock, a sister-in-law, Hilda Thibodeau of Peabody and many nieces and nephews. A visitation will be held on Sunday from 4:00 until 7:00 PM at the Conway Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home at the 12 Chestnut St. Peabody facility. Her funeral will be held on Monday at 10:00 from the Funeral Home followed by a Funeral Mass in Our Lady of Fatima Church Peabody at 11:00 AM. Burial in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. Expressions of sympathy may be made to All Care Hospice, 16 City Hall Square, Lynn, MA 01901 in her memory.