Helia Resendes (Friends)

Entered January 24, 2025

Deepest sympathy to u all she was an amazing women God console you Hearts 💕

Fátima e Rogério (Friends)

Entered January 24, 2025 from Tavira - Portugal

Sempre no nosso coração ❤️, juntamente com o Sr Aristides, suas filhas Paula e Suzy e netos Sarah, Jonathan e Catherine.
Um abracinho apertado para todos.

Anderson Salvador 

Entered January 24, 2025 from Mississauga, ON

I would like to express my sincere condolences to your entire family. May peace and comfort find you during this difficult time.

Maria Benevides (Friend)

Entered January 24, 2025

Dearest Paula and family. My heartfelt condolences on the passing of your mother. What a lovely tribute to her lufe journey. With affection, Maria

Gilberto Pais (Cousin)

Entered January 25, 2025 from Lisbon

Rest in peace Betty ;(

Elisabete De Jesus
Elisabete De Jesus was a wonder woman. A feisty, fierce, sometimes complaining always family oriented and self-advocating Portuguese Immigrant wonder woman! She nurtured us, loved us, cared for the family home, worked, resourcefully advocated for herself & her family, always haggled for the best price, cleaned like no one else and got things done!
Elisabete came from a large, poor, loving family from Ervedosa Portugal. Because there were too many mouths to feed, Elisabete moved from her family home at an early age to live with her uncle who eventually became the parish priest at our father’s village – Antas de Penedono. She took care of the parish home, served as alter girl and learned all the skills of being a good homemaker. Elisabete met our father, the charming, attractive adventure seeking Aristides De Jesus. How could she resist his charm and smile? They fell in love as one did in those days, through writing letters to each other; this is how they romanced through their early days which continued during Ary’s army draft. They were married and bright-eyed, seeking more in life, they moved to Lisbon. Elisabete set up home in the late 1950’s with the typical responsibilities of taking care of her husband and home while Ary worked on the iconic double-decker buses. They were a beautiful looking couple, and we can only imagine what those first few years may have been – full of love, hope and dreams for the future.
Then their first daughter showed up and Elisabete would tell us how much she was in love with her daughters when they were born and how much she enjoyed those early days of caring for her babies. Ary, always looking for more in life, resourcefully and with the guidance of friends, managed to get the opportunity to move to Canada landing in Toronto during the Salazar dictatorship, a somewhat covert operation. These friends became part of our lifelong family. Newcomers from Portugal were a tight knit, caring and supportive group and these friendships continue to endure. The Mendes family, the Madeira, Neto, Martins, and Branco families to name a few. And of course, our Toronto relatives; Tio Ze & Tia Maria, Primo Manuel/Emilia, Arthur, Nancy, Primo Antonio, Virginia, and Sergio. And our loving relatives in the U.S.A.; Tia Bernardina, Vera, Cecilio, Carlos, Joy, Niko, Armando, Rosi and dearly departed Antonio. You have all contributed to the richness of Elisabete’s life and our lives and we are forever grateful for your support and friendship throughout the decades.
Life was not always easy in the De Jesus household as Ary and Elisabete were often like oil and water, but it was understood that they loved each other, and they adored their girls and life carried on. Resourceful Elisabete worked as an independent housekeeper most of her life in Canada. She was part of the network of independent housekeepers who would see each other on the bus going home from Rosedale or the Bridal Path and they would become connected and help each other find jobs. This is how she found her long time jobs in Rosedale and on the Bridal Path. Many of you have heard the story of how Elisabete got her long-time job on the Bridal Path, and it bears repeating here. During one of her bus journeys, she made a friend with one of the Portuguese housekeepers and they developed a trusting relationship. One day said lady asked my mother if she was looking for more employment – our mother said yes, and Elisabete was given the opportunity to try out cleaning a house on the Bridal Path. Elisabete was nervous about starting the job and when she came home after her first day, we asked her how the job went. She said it was the biggest house she had ever cleaned, and they wanted her for three days a week. She said it was a good house to clean but they had this strange room with all these instruments and panels with lots of knobs and there were silver and gold records on the wall. Our ears perked up and we said, “Mae, next time you go clean that room, see if there is a name under those records”. She came home the next week and said, “I saw the name under the records it said ‘Rush’”. And that is how we learned that our mother worked for Rush’s producer – she worked there for over 20 years, and she spent several years working for their lead singer as well. This is what we always called “Elisabete’s claim to fame.”
With loved ones in Canada, Europe and USA coupled with Ary’s sense of adventure and the privilege of financial comfort through their combined hard work, there was a lot of traveling! Elisabete spend many trips in Portugal with her beloved siblings Clementina, Arminda, Antonio, Jose Julio and Vriato and with their families. There were trips to the USA to see her beloved late brother Antonio, devoted sister-in-law Bernardina and their wonderful children and eventually their children. There was travel to B.C. to see Sr. Antonio and Dona Delphina – once by car across the Trans-Canada Highway in Ary’s Champagne Cadillac – what a trip! and another trip by car the other way to the Maritimes! And beautiful Florida to their lovely house in Clearwater where they spent many winters enjoying the beach, sun and their grandchildren and their girls - such great fun and wonderful memories– and Disney Land and Universal Studios. Cruises to Alaska and to Europe, vacations in Ocean City Maryland and we have probably missed a few. What a lot of adventure!
Lastly and most importantly, Elisabete was in love with her grandchildren Sarah, Jonathan & Catherine. She loved taking care of them when they were babies, caring for them, spending time with them and just watching them go about their day – this made her so happy. After Ary died, it was hard to adjust for Elisabete, but then she found her stride and she enjoyed an independence she had never had. It was good to see her in good spirits and doing the things she loved, like shopping, talking to her friends, knitting, watching her shows and enjoying her time with her family. She loved to help around the house and was always busy doing something. These last few years were hard on Elisabete as she began journeying into the “good night” as they say – yet she did her best to connect and keep her spirits up.
When all is said and done, you did good Elisabete! You worked hard, you loved well, you were strong and feisty, and you persevered. You continue to live on through us and your grandchildren. You can be at peace Elisabete – we will always be guided by you.
All our love,
Paula, Suzy, Sarah, Jonathan, Catherine