Dartmouth resident celebrates her 102nd birthday
Arcangelica Monteiro with her family. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Monteiro and Lopes. 
Gene Monteiro plays the saxophone for his aunt, while his granddaughter 'plays' alone. 
Monteiro with her sister, who is 97.
Arcangelica Monteiro with her family. Photos by Kat Sheridan
Monteiro and Lopes.
Gene Monteiro plays the saxophone for his aunt, while his granddaughter 'plays' alone.
Monteiro with her sister, who is 97.
When Arcangela Monteiro was 6 years old, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis and given six months to live. This was back in 1930, and she celebrated her 102nd birthday on Thursday, July 2.
“This is the longest six months I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Paula Lopes, Montiero’s daughter.
Her sister, children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-children showed up to celebrate her life and the occasion.
Her nephew, Gene, played her one of her favorite Creole/Cape Verdean songs on the saxophone, and her great granddaughter joined in with a toy saxophone.
They had cake and posed for a whole family photo. During the party, Lopes told the story of her mother’s life.
She studied until the fourth grade before dropping out. She returned when she was 52 and got her high school diploma.
She worked at Easton Sportswear for 35 years before becoming a matron at a dormitory at UMass Dartmouth, which was Southeastern Massachusetts University at the time.
“She loved that job, she loved [those] kids, they all loved her,” said Lopes, “She acted like she was their mother to all of them.”
Her husband died 12 years ago, and Lopes came from Providence to Dartmouth to care for her mother. He was a veteran, and the new Mendes Monteiro House was named after him. Monteiro attended the dedication.
She was a parishioner at Our Lady of Assumption Church for almost her entire life. Monteiro used to sew, knit and crochet in her free time. She would give her loved ones homemade gifts. She now has dementia, and so no longer does these hobbies.
“She’s an unbelievable woman,” said Lopes.
