Obituary for Elizabeth Freitas Faries (Elizabeth de Freitas Pinto)
Elizabeth Faries (May 1, 1938 Sao Paulo, Brazil - March 18, 2022 Frederick, Maryland, USA)
A remarkable journey came to an end on March 18 when Elizabeth Faries passed away after nearly 84 years following a long battle with Alzheimer's.
Having lost her own mother when she was just two, Liz spent her early years in and out of an orphanage in Brazil before her aunt and uncle were able to adopt her as their own.
She left Brazil for King of Prussia, Pennsylvania in 1964 to help a family with their elder care needs, and she never left. She met her future husband, the late Alfred McIntyre Faries, in the early 70s. In 1973, the couple and their infant son moved to Satellite Beach and -- except for a six-year break -- her house on Laurel Street was her home for the next 45 years.
Many Brevard residents came to know Liz as a saleswoman at Burdine's (later Macy's) at the Melbourne Square Mall, where she had a network of loyal customers from 1995-2011.
Despite many difficult years, she always saw the glass as half full. She laughed easily. She loved: decorating for Christmas, Sunday breakfast at Perkins, walking to the beach, visiting her son and daughter-in-law in the U.S. or abroad, traveling with her lifelong friend Wally Hoo, and jumping on a trampoline or getting ice cream or just going for a walk with her grandkids.
Liz is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, William Faries and Dana Peterson of Chevy Chase, Maryland; her grandson Dylan and granddaughter Sierra; her sister Myrian Speranza of Monte Verde, Brazil; and her brother Ruy de Freitas Paula of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
"Life is so good," she frequently said. It really was. We'll all miss her.
The family is organizing a memorial service in Florida in May. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (www.alzdiscovery.org) or St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (stjudes.org).
A remarkable journey came to an end on March 18 when Elizabeth Faries passed away after nearly 84 years following a long battle with Alzheimer's.
Having lost her own mother when she was just two, Liz spent her early years in and out of an orphanage in Brazil before her aunt and uncle were able to adopt her as their own.
She left Brazil for King of Prussia, Pennsylvania in 1964 to help a family with their elder care needs, and she never left. She met her future husband, the late Alfred McIntyre Faries, in the early 70s. In 1973, the couple and their infant son moved to Satellite Beach and -- except for a six-year break -- her house on Laurel Street was her home for the next 45 years.
Many Brevard residents came to know Liz as a saleswoman at Burdine's (later Macy's) at the Melbourne Square Mall, where she had a network of loyal customers from 1995-2011.
Despite many difficult years, she always saw the glass as half full. She laughed easily. She loved: decorating for Christmas, Sunday breakfast at Perkins, walking to the beach, visiting her son and daughter-in-law in the U.S. or abroad, traveling with her lifelong friend Wally Hoo, and jumping on a trampoline or getting ice cream or just going for a walk with her grandkids.
Liz is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, William Faries and Dana Peterson of Chevy Chase, Maryland; her grandson Dylan and granddaughter Sierra; her sister Myrian Speranza of Monte Verde, Brazil; and her brother Ruy de Freitas Paula of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
"Life is so good," she frequently said. It really was. We'll all miss her.
The family is organizing a memorial service in Florida in May. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (www.alzdiscovery.org) or St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (stjudes.org).