Ernesteen Rose Felecia (D'Lima) Ferreira

Ernesteen Rose Felecia Ferreira (née D’Lima), 90, passed away peacefully Tuesday, September 21, 2021, in the arms of loving family.

She was born on October 7, 1930 to the late Louis and Rose Agnes D’Lima (née Fernandes) in Marve, Mumbai. She married the late Joseph Faustin Jude Ferreira in 1955. They were married for 30 years, until his passing in 1985.  She resided and worked in Orlem, Mumbai until relocating to the United States.

Ernesteen graduated from St. Theresa’s Convent High School, Santa Cruz, Mumbai and received her teacher’s certificate from the University of Mumbai. She was a primary school teacher for almost 40 years predominantly at St. Joseph’s School and Carmel of St. Joseph’s School, both in Orlem, Mumbai. Over the years she taught multiple generations of several local families. It was a rare day on which she wasn’t greeted by a former student in the streets of Orlem while going about her daily errands.

Ernesteen was devoted to her family and balanced her career as a teacher with the duties of a busy home with four growing children. When she retired in 1988, she refocused on the two things she loved most: church and family. She was an active member of several women’s organizations associated with the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Orlem. She also dedicated herself to helping her children raise their families, travelling to Australia, New Zealand and the United States to assist with newborns and new homes, becoming the loving ‘Nana’, ‘Nani’ and ‘Grandma Ernie’ to four sets of grandchildren. Even in retirement, she continued to teach by helping grandchildren with their schoolwork. Furthermore, she enjoyed treating her loved ones to traditional East Indian meals and sweets. In her later years, she resided in Marlborough, enjoying attending mass with her grandchildren.

She is survived by four children: sons Finian (Juanita) of Auckland, New Zealand and Placid (Laura) of Champaign, Illinois, USA and daughters Suzie (Jorgen de Haan) of Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA and Marilene (Anil D’Silva) of Sydney, Australia. Also surviving are eight grandchildren: Jervis and Megan (Isaac) Rodrigues; Kathleen, Liam and Mariel; Jenneke and Willem de Haan; and Christian D’Silva, great grandchild Lucas Rodrigues, brother Raymond D’Lima, and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and seven siblings.

Ernesteen’s funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, September 27 at 10:00 a.m. in St Matthias Church (www.stmattpar.org), 409 Hemenway St, Marlborough. The Mass will be live streamed at www.facebook.com/stmattpar/. She will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery, 133 Wilson Street, Marlborough immediately following Mass.  Funeral arrangements under the direction of the Short & Rowe Funeral Home (www.shortandrowefuneralhome.com), 95 West Main St. Marlborough.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ernesteen Rose Felecia (D'Lima) Ferreira, please visit our floral store.