Obituaries

Julieta Sousa Simas was born on August 10, 1954 in Madeira, Portugal in a small town called Achadas da Cruz. Julieta came from a large family that included her father Manuel Antonio Sousa (1918 Р2007), her mother Palmira Eugenia de Sousa (born 1924) and 8 siblings: Paix̣o Sousa, Manuel Jose Sousa, Abilio Sousa, Salom̩ Sousa Ponte, Eugenia Sousa, Alberto Sousa, Carlos Sousa & Fatima Sousa.

In 1979, at the age of 25, Julieta and her brother Albert left the island of Madeira and moved to Fremont, CA where she started working at California Nursery where she found a job doing what she loved; taking care of a garden. Shortly after, she met a charming young man by the name of Joe Simas who swept her off her feet and married on May 23, 1981. They settled down in Newark, CA and never left.

In 1982, they were blessed with their first child, Sandra Maria Simas. Their favorite son, David Joe Simas, was born in 1984 and during the same year, Julieta began her career at American Licorice Factory in Union City as a licorice packer. Seven years later, in 1991, Marlene Maria Simas was born and completed their family of five.

Julieta had a love for her family that was immeasurable. She loved to bake large meals on holidays, weekends or special occasions and have her family gather around the table to celebrate yet another day on this earth. Her infectious smile, her selflessness and her positive outlook on life left a lasting impression on anyone she met.

Always a devout Catholic, Julieta went to church regularly on Sundays and instilled this faith in her children. In 2008, Julieta was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer and rather than allowing this diagnosis to defeat her, she turned deeper to her faith and to God to help give her strength for the difficult road ahead. She knew one day this disease would take her life, but she refused to let it dictate how she would live it.

Although the cancer was aggressive, Julieta’s determination was stronger. She defied all odds and amazed doctors regularly at how well she looked, how much energy she had and the fact that she was still alive after so many years of battling the disease. All she asked from others was that they lived their life to the fullest and remained grateful for each day we were given.

Julieta was given the gift of two grandchildren, Hailey and Michael, who she affectionately called her “honey”. She treasured the moments she shared with them, especially this past year. They brought immense joy to her days and gave her a renewed purpose to keep fighting.

This past May, Julieta was selected by the Order of Malta to travel on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. Her best friend, Ana Silva, accompanied her on this journey. Miraculously, Julieta had zero complications, required no medicine and truly felt at ease throughout her travels. She had always dreamed of visiting such a holy place and thankfully had the opportunity to experience it before she passed.

On July 30, 2016, the Lord decided to call Julieta home. She passed peacefully, surrounded by her family. Stuart Scott once said "When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live.” and Julieta did just that. She is already dearly missed and will never be forgotten. May she rest in eternal peace and watch over all of us.

A big thank you to all of the doctors, nurses, hospital staff at Washington, Alta bates, UCSF & Stanford, the wonderful individuals at the Fremont Infusion Center and to all those who endlessly prayed for her. A special thanks to Dr. David Chang, Dr. Lee-May Chen and Dr. Jeff Stern for their tireless commitment to helping Julieta fight this battle.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, August 2nd from 4-8pm with a Vigil at 6:30pm at Fremont Memorial Chapel, 3723 Peralta Blvd., Fremont, CA 94536. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, August 3rd at 10:30am at St. Edward’s Catholic Church, 5788 Thornton Ave., Newark, CA 94560.