Lucy M. Rapoza

Fairhaven –Our Beloved Mother, Lucy M. Rapoza (Sarmento-Perry, Baptiste) age 91, passed away Saturday, January 3, 2015 at Our Lady’s Haven. She was the widow of Manuel V. Baptiste and the daughter of Mary Francis and Frank Sarmento.
Born in Fairhaven, she was a 1940 graduate of Fairhaven High School and worked as a cashier at Fernandes Supermarket until her retirement. Lucy loved her grand and great-grandchildren, walking, reading at Fort Phoenix, feeding her squirrel “Baby”, the Red Sox, bus rides to the casino with her sister Lil and traveling to visit family.
Her family includes 7 children: Robert Baptiste and wife Sandra, of Texas, Paul Baptiste and wife, Jan, of Arizona, Mary Louise Vaillancourt and Jack Flynn of Norwood, Margaret “Ami” Baptiste and Roger Craveiro of Westport, Susan J. Felici and husband, John, of Florida, Lucy J. Ramos and husband, Frank, of New Bedford and the late Stephen F. Baptiste; 10 grandchildren: Stephen Sylvia, Mark, Robyn, Stefanie, Jennifer, Ameke and Jada Baptiste, Renee McGrath, Christien Vaillancourt and Sasha Griffith; 9 great grandchildren: Julia, Cheyenne, Camron, Helaina, Jaelyn, Mikayla, Lucy, Cara and the late Elias G. Bethke; as well as brother in law Arthur Borges and former daughter in law Lillian Baptiste.
Per her wishes, Lucy will be cremated. A memorial gathering will be held on Thursday evening from 4 – 7 P.M. Arrangements placed in the care of Perry Funeral Home, 111 Dartmouth St. in New Bedford, Ma.
The family would like to thank the second floor staff at Our Lady’s Haven for their loving care. Lucy was the last surviving member of her siblings: Albert (Snowball) Perry, Joseph Perry, Mary Nelson (Perry), Daniel Sarmento, and Lillian Labrode (Perry). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the March of Dimes or the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Sarcoma Dept).