Arcelina Maria Costa

Saturday, August 10, 2024 at. 11:30am.

St. Pancratius Catholic Church

3519 St. Pancratius Pl.

Lakewood, CA 90712

Arcelina M. Costa, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend died in the early

morning hours of July 17, 2024 at home surrounded by her children.

Arcelina immigrated from Terceira, Azores, Portugal at the age of 16 with her parents Maria E.

Costa and Daniel Costa. They settled in California’s Central Valley in May of 1966. She

overcame bullying and adversity because she did not speak English, which did not last long.

She attended night school, learned English, and gained independence by learning to drive.

Several years later she married and had three children. She dedicated her life to her family

through hard work as a seamstress and later a deli clerk. Her resilience, determination, and

faith guided her through difficult times.

Many of her friends and coworkers knew her by the nick-name RC. She would introduce

herself as, “RC, like R.C. Cola.”

Look out if you put a board game in front of her! Arcelina’s competitive spirit made her a fierce

competitor. It was all about winning! We had to keep an eye on her because she was not above

cheating just a little if the opportunity arose. She enjoyed getting together with family and

friends and usually became the life of the party.

No one ever went hungry with Arcelina around. One of her talents was cooking Portuguese

favorites, coves, alcatra, and a delicious meatball dish we affectionately called ballas. Mom’s

stuffing was an annual favorite at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Luckily, she proudly

taught her grandson, Evan many of her recipes. She was happy to announce that he cooked

them as well as she did.

Her favorite colors were blue and purple. She liked purple so much that in recent years she

allowed her son's fiancée, Michelle, to dye her hair purple. Her beautiful salt and pepper hair

became purple and she never looked back. She beamed proudly with every compliment on her

bright purple spiky hair.

One of her hobbies was crocheting. A love she learned from her mother and passed on to her

grandson, Evan. She found it relaxing and enjoyed making bright colored blankets for family,

friends, and donating to church charity events.

In 2016 Arcelina moved to the Los Angeles area where she has lived with her daughter and

son-in-law, and/or son and his fiancée. She learned to traverse a whole new area including LA

freeways. And, she was not afraid of technology; her iPhone, Apple Watch, and MacBook were

always near. She had a little trouble remembering her Facebook passwords though, hence the

multiple FB accounts.

If Mom was not spending time with one of us, we could find her in her favorite chair in her room

cell phone in hand (usually on Facebook or FaceTime), computer on the table in front of her

(usually on a game), and the TV on a Soap Opera,Family Feud, or Blue Bloods. She even drew

her son-in-law, Terry into her General Hospital addiction as they discussed their disbelief of the

antics of their favorite soap characters. Facebook was one of her favorite pastimes. She loved

catching up with family and friends from around the world and games. She also enjoyed

watching bull runs “touradas” on the Praia in Terceira held during religious festas posted on

YouTube/Facebook while she attended religious fiestas in Pismo Beach with family.

She was a devout Catholic who always believed she was in God’s hands. She believed she

would be reunited with loved ones and loved pets that preceded her while she waited for those

of us yet to come.

Speaking of loved pets, animals were drawn to Arcelina. She never met an animal that did not

take to her immediately. No doubt, they sensed her genuineness, and good and kind spirit.

Arcelina Maria Costa is survived by her daughter Jennifer Picanso-Sutton, son Richard

Picanso, son-in-law Terry Sutton, son’s fiancée Michelle Bitolas, grandson Evan Michael Corral,

brother Daniel Costa, sister-in-law Margarida Costa, and godson Lester Costa. She is

preceded in death by her son Leo M. Picanso, father Daniel Costa, mother Maria E. Costa,

sister-in-law Eduardina Costa, and brother Manuel Costa.

Arcelina will live on in our hearts and minds through the many memories we shared.