Álvaro de Abreu Fernandes
July 9,1937 – August 7, 2026

Álvaro de Abreu Fernandes died peacefully at age 89 in Funchal, Madeira surrounded by his wife Conceição, his daughter Laura and son-in-law Geoffrey. In the days prior to his death, his sons Thomas and Steven were also able to be with him. And thanks to technology, in the hours before he died, he was in the loving company of his daughter Caroline, as well as his sons, son- and daughter-in-law, his eight grandchildren, and his great-grandchild. For Álvaro, family was his life, and he was surrounded by his loved ones as he made his homecoming to his beloved Creator and family who predeceased him.

Álvaro (Al) was born in the village of Campanário on Madeira Island, Portugal to António and Clarisse Fernandes. He was the fourth of eight children. At 16, he immigrated to Venezuela where he spent his teenage years running a small grocery store and butcher shop, before immigrating to the United States.

In 1958, he arrived in Boston to join his older sister, Bernadette, and her husband Brazão in their enterprise as owners of The Pilgrim House, an inn in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It was there that he met the love of his life, Caroline Stanford, who had accepted a summer job at the inn after completing her sophomore year at Connecticut College. Spanish and good humor were their common languages until Al learned English and Caroline learned Portuguese. From then on, it was a mix of all three.

Al and Caroline married in 1959 and eventually settled in Lexington where they raised their four children, Laura, Caroline, Thomas, and Steven. Al was enthusiastically playful and often chose to entertain children rather than sit with adults. Always interested in his children's and grandchildren’s opinions, he eagerly reminded them as “American citizens” expressing their ideas was their right. Compassion and generosity were two outstanding qualities his children and grandchildren learned by watching his day to day actions. Eager to listen, they always felt well supported even during difficult times. He believed ardently in “the American Dream” and was deeply proud they have the opportunity to become whoever they wanted to be.

Al had a long career as a meatcutter at the historic Waltham Supermarket where he was quickly recognized for his talent to teach, inspire, and motivate his coworkers. His curiosity about human behavior and his innate leadership skills made him an excellent manager, despite minimal formal education.

In 1983, his wife Caroline died suddenly at 44 years old, which left a huge hole in his life and in his heart. They had been married for 24 years. On a trip to Madeira to visit family, he reconnected with Maria Conceição de Pinto, a longtime family friend. They married in 1999 and settled into life together in New England. Their relationship of 27 years was buoyed by her devoted care for him, especially in his later years, shared humor and companionship.

After his retirement, they moved back to his family home in Campanário to enjoy the fantastic climate and a simpler life. It was a restful place for him; daily card games, visits from neighbors, and the company and care of Conceição’s family. However, the distance from his children and grandchildren always brought him back to America, often to Maine, for long visits. On his most recent and final trip to the US, he met his first great-grandchild, Amalia.

His grandchildren affectionately knew him as Vovo. He was fully engaged with this generation, far more eager to spend time with them than any others. He saw all of them as individuals, who had bright futures with endless possibilities. He consistently shared his passions with them including music, dance, card games, ping pong but not limited to just these. Every visit included philosophical conversations and/or debates about government, religion, politics, war, cultures, parenting, work ethic and family. His most repeated message was “children do not ask to be born”. He harbored a vision of reality in which every child is cherished and nourished. He constantly reminded his grandchildren they must be an agent of change to overcome social, economic and environmental distress somehow, somewhere in their lifetime.

Álvaro is survived by his wife, Conceição; his daughter Laura Summa and son-in-law Geoffrey Summa, their children, John (and spouse, Julia Haltof) and Caroline; his daughter Caroline Fernandes and his son-in-law Joseph Partlow, their daughters, Theresa and Carmelita (and fiancé, Andre Eley) and great-granddaughter, Amalia Eley; his son Thomas Fernandes and his daughter-in-law Louise Cady-Fernandes, their daughters, Caroline and Julia; his son, Steven Fernandes and his children, Nicholas and Alyssa; his sisters Encarnação Pereira, Ana Stanford and Carmelita Georges, brother-in-law John Georges, and sister-in-law Margarida Fernandes; and many nieces and nephews whom he loved like his own children.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Caroline Stanford, his precious daughter-in-law, Michelle Fernandes, his brothers António, Humberto and Manuel Leonardo, his sister Bernadette de Andrade, his brothers-in-law Manuel Brazão, Norbert Pereira, José de Andrade and Thomas Stanford, his sister-in-law, Joan Fernandes and his nephew, Richard Stanford.

A funeral Mass will be held at Saint Brigid Church in Lexington, MA on Saturday, September 19 at 10:00 AM followed by a burial at Westview Cemetery. After the burial, there will be a luncheon reception at Café Escadrille in Burlington.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to one of three organizations which he proudly supported as his children's passions.

Preble Street - https://www.preblestreet.org/donate 55 Portland Street Portland, Maine 04101

The Recompense Fund - https://www.recompensefund.com/donate PO Box 42 Chebeague Island, Maine 04017

Lungstrong - https://www.lungstrong.org/donate

	Humberto, Anna, Encarnacao, Leonardo, Bernadette, Alvaro, Carmelita