Filomena Mendonca Avelar Teixeira April 21st 1910 - Feb 12 2006

I just got back from my grandmothers funeral. She was 95 and lived a long mostly healthy life. She was 48 when she lost her husband and was left with 10 count em 10 kids to raise the youngest being only 3 years old. Altogether she had 13 kids 10 are still alive 3 died as babies including my Uncle Franks twin. She had 2 sets of twins. My dad and my Aunt Filomena are also twins. From those 10 kids there are 35 grandkids and so far to date 17 great grandkids.

This funeral was different than most I have been to. There were some tears but few and far between I guess when you life is lived that full for that long it really is more of a celebration of the persons life rather than a sense of time lost.

The Picture above was taken at her 90th Birthday Party