Marianinha Mascarenhas

Marianinha was born in Goa, India on August 20^th, 1947 to Joao Santana Rodrigues and Maria Conceicao Barreto, the second oldest of five children. She was a devoted daughter and sister, leaving school to help care for her younger brothers. Her family grew up in Borivali, Mumbai in a neighborhood filled with friends and family. She kept in touch with these neighbors into her final days. Marianinha married Jose Augustinho Mascarenhas in an arranged marriage on April 2, 1975 in Goa, India. She moved with Jose to Denver, Colorado in March of 1976 where he had immigrated two years earlier. She missed her family terribly, and in their absence, began building a home away from home and a network of friends that soon became her family in America. She loved and cherished her earliest friendships: Frank and Janet Volker, Max and Pat Grassfield, and Louis and Carol Ann Sass, often crediting them for teaching her how to live in her new country. She called every person she met a friend, and once her friend, they were a friend for life. Marianinha kept in touch with her friends near and far, past and present, never hesitating to pick up the phone to check in or ask about a recipe.

Marianinha was a loving and devoted mother and was unconditionally proud of her three children: Frank, Valentina and Carol. She supported and encouraged them in their education and worked to give them opportunities that she never had. She urged them to travel and explore the world, and to seize every opportunity life offered. Vivian and Ian, Marianinha's two grandchildren, were her greatest joy. They gave her hope and bolstered her spirits on her hardest days. 

When Carol started kindergarten at Most Precious Blood school, Marianinha began going to school with her children every day and volunteering, helping the teachers with whatever needed to be done. In 1994, Jose passed away, and Marianinha, determined to provide the best for her children, purchased a house, learned to drive, and went to work fulltime at MPB. One of Marianinha’s most important jobs was running the church nursery which she faithfully did for almost 25 years. The children she cared for carried her love with them into adulthood, and would often come back to visit her with their own children to thank her for the impact she had on their lives. 

Marianinha was both gentle and fierce. She battled and survived cancer twice in addition to constant health ailments. She became an inspiration to many facing their own health challenges, and often joked that she was a cat with nine lives. Marianinha is preceeded in death by her parents, her sister Monica, her brother Santan, and her husband Jose. She is survived by her brothers, Francis and Joseph and their families, her three children: Frank, Valentina (Kip) and Carol (Jeremy), and her grandchildren Vivian and Ian. 

Please join us at Most Precious Blood Church (3959 E Iliff Ave, Denver, CO 80210) for a memorial Mass on Thursday, February 29^th at 10:00. A Celebration of Life with eulogies and lunch will follow in the Parish Center at 11:00. 

Marianinha had compassion for every child, especially those most vulnerable and in need of care. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to UNICEF. 

Please share memories of Marianinha and condolences with her family by signing the online guestbook below.