Maria F. Messier

Maria Fatima (Melo) Messier, 64, of New Bedford passed away Tuesday April 28, 2026.

Born in Faial, Azores, the daughter of Maria Cristina (Cabral) Melo and the late Elmo Machado Melo, she came to America on November 1, 1968 with her family. She proudly was naturalized as a U.S. citizen on June 25, 1985, after having served honorably in the Massachusetts Army National Guard at Otis Air Force Base for eight years.

After graduating from New Bedford High School in 1980, Maria began her working career as a pharmacy technician at Brooks Pharmacy and later became an eye technician at Eye Health Associates where she worked until retiring due to illness.

She was a member of the Bay Community Baptist Church in Swansea, and was true to her faith in the Lord. She enjoyed planning events that brought people together. She loved her God and her family, as well as drinking coffee and eating sweets. Meeting her first granddaughter Natalia in 2024 was the highlight of her life.

She is survived by her mother, Maria Cristina; her daughter, Brittany Messier; her granddaughter, Natalia Smith; her siblings, Cristina Melo Jorge, Jose Manuel Simas Melo, Ana Paula Aiello, Lidia Maria Deppermann, Elmo Jorge Melo, Anne Margaret Melo, and Michelle Melo; and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford.