June 17, 1931 - October 25, 2013

Alice Theresa Britto née Botelho passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, at the Greater Niagara General Hospital on Friday, October 25, 2013 at the age of 82. Beloved wife of 55 years to Michael Britto. Loving and devoted mother of Malcolm (Sylvia) Britto, Anthea (Dan) Murrell and Marwin (Sarah) Britto. Cherished grandmother of Kenneth and Vanessa Murrell, Marcello, Kiara, Dante, Roman and Marah Britto. Dear sister of Orlando (Elizabeth) Botelho and Frederick (Grace) Botelho and sister-in-law of Josephine Botelho. Predeceased by her brother Gilbert Botelho.

Alice Botelho was born in Goa (Portuguese India) on June 17th, 1931, the eldest of four siblings. She attended a British boarding school in Bombay and then studied at Sophia College in Mumbai. After receiving her BA/B.Ed., she rejoined her family in Nairobi, Kenya where she taught at Dr. Ribeiro Goan School. There she met her future husband, Michael Britto who was teaching at the same school. They were married at St. Francis Xavier Church in Nairobi on Easter Monday, April 7, 1958. The couple with son Malcolm and daughter Anthea, moved to England in 1963. While in the UK, she taught at a local high school while her husband studied at London University. The family returned to Nairobi, where son Marwin was born. Alice taught at St. Theresa’s school and Michael taught at Parklands School.

In 1969, Alice and Michael Britto and family immigrated to Canada, and settled in Niagara Falls, Ontario where they have lived ever since.

In Niagara Falls, Alice taught at Carmel Senior Elementary and later at St. Thomas More Elementary School until her retirement after 22 years of teaching for the Welland County Separate School Board. Throughout her long teaching career, Alice was a devoted teacher always seeking the best from her students.

She was also an avid and passionate gardener and loved to give tours of her garden - naming each plant and flower. She was a very active member of the Our Lady of the Scapular Church, serving as a Eucharistic minister, lector and in RCIA. She was a member of the Legion of Mary, the Canadian Federation of University Women, and avidly played bridge in recent years. She also enjoyed spending time with her gourmet cooking and university book club members.

Despite all of these accomplishments, Alice was perhaps most proud of her three children. She was a supportive and doting mother and a loving grand-mother. She relished her grandmother role and will be sorely missed by her 3 children and 7 grand-children alike.

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It is with sadness that we bid farewell to one of the icons of our beloved DRGS, Mrs. Alice Britto.

I was fortunate to have been present at the Funeral Mass held for Mrs. Britto at Our Lady of the Scapular Church in Niagara Falls, Oct 30, 2013. Seeing Mr. Michael Britto after some 50 years brought back a hundredfold the impact that they made on our lives. I remember Alice Britto as a teacher who wielded a sternness that was tempered with patience and kindness. Teaching was a gift which she shared with her students. It is the measure of a person that she can be remembered so fondly and respectfully through a span of a half a century of absence.

And today, I heard about how Alice Britto made a difference in her community. From the eloquently touching eulogy delivered by the Pastor of Our Lady of the Scapular Church, it is clear that Alice Britto’s legacy will live on within her pastoral community, her many friends and relatives, much as her legacy lives on in the hearts of the alumni of the DRGS. No doubt she has also left an indelible mark on the students she taught during her 22 teaching years in Canada. It was obvious that her service to the Church was very fondly received.

To Mr. Britto, Malcolm, Anthea and Marwin, we offer our sincere condolences on the loss of a beloved wife and mother. Her memory lives on in our lives as we ask the Lord to grant her an eternal and peaceful resting place in His Kingdom.

Joan doRosario