Maria de Deus (Umbelina) Melo, 55, of Fairhaven passed away Tuesday, February 23, 2016 in her home surrounded by her family and friends after a long illness. She was the beloved wife of Artur Melo and mother of Christian Melo.
Born in Povoação, São Miguel, Açores, she was the daughter of Jacinto and Rosalina (Medeiros) Umbelina. She came with her family to the United States in 1966 and settled in the New Bedford area.
Mrs. Melo received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and worked as an art director for the New Bedford Public Library. She also worked at Luzo Community Bank, Bank of America, and was a self-employed artist.
She was very gifted artistically. She loved painting, sculpting, making crafts, photography and tending to her garden.
In addition to her husband and son, she is survived by a sister, Maria Odete Pinarreta of New Bedford; two brothers, Luis Umbelina of New Bedford and Antonio Umbelina of Acushnet; and 10 nieces and nephews.
Her services are private and under the care of WARING-SULLIVAN at FAIRLAWN, 180 Washington St., Fairhaven. www.waring-sullivan.com for online tribute.
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