Maria Lourdes Moniz

Our beloved Lourdes died at age 95 on April 21, 2019 after a couple of months of complications with pneumonia. Her daughter, Ann Moniz Archer, and her dear son-in-law, Jeff Archer, were by her side. She died at home where she could see the fruits of her gardening efforts. More than anything, her passion was gardening, which she continued to enjoy until a couple of months prior to her death. She took care of anything that grew.

Lourdes was the matriarch of her families. Ninety five years is a very long time. She was not selfish with her wisdom and vision and was thrilled to share them. Her memory was encompassing and precise. She was a great story teller and I still felt I had so much to learn from her. Our younger generation still called her for information long forgotten by anyone else in the family or friends.
She was a very intelligent lady who was an avid reader and writer. She could finish a jigsaw puzzle in record time. I should have entered her in contests but she was too humble and shy. She had golden hands. Most members of our extended families have some little treasure she made lovingly especially for them.
I will forever miss her story telling. I have kept some of her tales in her own handwriting and taped some as well, but it will never be the same. She had a unique sense of humor, a trait she shared with my late father. I was fortunate to have had two parents with such a wonderful trait.
I believe most members of our families have felt her death. In addition to her daughter and dear son-in-law, she leaves her brother Jose Maria Martins and her youngest sister Honorina Furtado, several nieces and nephew and their offspring.

She was born in Capelas, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal. She courted her future husband John D. Moniz, for seven years They were married for 58 years and had a baby girl, me, whom they doted upon. In 1966 John, Lourdes and their daughter moved to the United States to be reunited with their families. They worked and lived in New England. They retired early and returned to Portugal, Lisbon this time. They spent many healthy retirement years traveling on Portugal’s mainland and having a good time.
There will be a small celebration of Lourdes’ life in the garden she loved on Sunday, June 2nd, 2019. Her favorite food were hamburgers. Please RSVP to Ann or Jeff to let them know how many pounds of ground beef they should buy.

Lourdes was very concerned with the environment and the waste of natural resources. Given her love for gardening, she was well aware of water waste. Long ago, she began concentrating on working with plants which needed little water.

If you wish to remember her with something she believed in, please contribute in her name to the Conservation Garden which is beautiful, non-profit and extremely educational. A couple of bucks is fine. The volunteers at the Garden make them go a long way: The Water Conservation Garden, 12122 Cuyamaca College Dire West, El Cajon, CA 92019.