Stephanie L. (Aylward) Holmen

Stephanie L. (Aylward) Holmen, of New Bedford, age 41 years, passed away unexpectedly Friday, March 22nd at St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River. She was the loving wife of Victor J. Holmen. Her family includes: her son Shane Mattos and her daughter Erynn Mattos both of New Bedford; and 2 grandchildren: Olivia and Johnathan. She is also survived by the father of her children Charles Mattos.
Mrs. Holmen was born in Pueblo, Colorado, the daughter of Geraldine I. (Ponte) and John P. Aylward. She moved with her parents to Hazelwood, Missouri, then to Bath, Maine before settling in this area. She was a graduate of Bishop Stang High School and received her certificate of completion at Lebaron’s Hairdressing School. She worked as a hairdresser at Family Hair Center in New Bedford for 5 years. She was enrolled in the nurse’s program at Bristol Community College. Doing her clinical rotation at Woman and Infants made her very proud. She also worked as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant in many nursing homes until she became ill. Even after her disability, Stephanie returned to work to contribute to her family’s well-being. She loved fishing, camping and watching TV with her husband. She also enjoyed cooking as well as teaching her daughter to cook. Stephanie loved to eat; her favorite restaurant was Oki’s. Stephanie had an uncompromising love for life, people and animals.
Stephanie’s funeral will be Thursday, March 28th at 8:45 A.M. from the Perry Funeral Home, 111 Dartmouth St. in New Bedford, with a Funeral Service of the Word with a right of Farewell at St. Mary’s Church in Dartmouth at 10:00 A.M. Visiting hours will be Wednesday evening from 6 – 8 P.M. Mrs. Holmen will be cremated. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the family for her children’s education.