Obituary for Martha Menezes

Martha  Menezes
Martha Menezes, age 83, of New Castle, Va. passed away on Thursday, December 13, 2018. She was born on Tuesday, December 3, 1935 to the late Octavio and Anna Ramos Ferrandini. Martha was born in São Paulo, Brazil and later moved to the U.S. in 1977. She gathered a large following of dear and loy-al friends from being part of a Catholic Workers Youth movement where she also met her husband Lorival. Before coming to the United States she was proud of her service as the director of a hospital kitchen. Once in New Jersey she lived there until 2014 when she and her husband moved to New Cas-tle, Va.
An exceptional chef, Martha did not have any one particular favorite dish she cooked, but loved to have family and friends gather around a table to enjoy her extensive repertoire of amazing dishes. Professionally, it became a point of pride when she learned that her private estate employer began hosting events featuring her cooking and not that of all the famous establishments available to him in the New York City area.
Despite her humble family not having the means to provide her an education, Martha earned her high school equivalency shortly after arriving in the United States. She was an avid reader and an advocate for education for her children and all she met. Although earnings were meager once in the U.S., much of it was saved for a full encyclopedia for her family. She devoted much of her time to read and learn ever more recipes, cooking techniques, and information from around the world.
Her family was everything and she loved them dearly. She looked forward to holiday gatherings where she would glow with the happiness of seeing her immediate and growing extended family gather and enjoy their time together. No birthday would ever get past her attention.
She was a devout Catholic from an early age and became heavily involved in the St. James Parish in Newark, NJ, and came to love the spirit and energy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Salem, VA.
Those left to cherish her memory include her husband, Lorival B. Menezes; children, Ana M. Menezes, Tomas F. Menezes and wife, Rini, Lucas F. Menezes and wife, Robin, and Augusto F. Menezes; grand-children, Amelia Taylor and husband, Zachary, Olivia Menezes, Joshua Menezes, Otavio T. Menezes, and Trivan T. Menezes; great-grandchildren, Lila Jo Taylor and Eden Rose Taylor; sisters, Carolina De Oliveira, Isabel Costa and Francisca Barbosa.
In keeping with Martha’s wishes all services will be held privately with her family.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorial contributions be made in her honor to: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 314 Turner Rd. Salem, Va. 24153 or Saint James Church, 143 Madison St. Newark, Nj. 07105.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.johnmoakey.com.
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