Mr. Manuel Jacinto Raposo

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Manuel Jacinto Raposo, husband of the late Maria Manuela Paiva Melo Raposo, after a long and courageous battle with kidney disease.

He is survived by his children, Cremilde (Michael), Antonio (Helena), Suzie (Laudalino), his grandchildren, Kevin, Kathleen (PY), Natasha, Erik, Alexia, Evan, Marisa and Noah, as well as his great-grandchildren, Esmeralda and Brendan.

Dad, how do we say goodbye when our hearts are broken?  You were a man of honor, pride, hard working and above all a family man. We have so many memories starting with Sundays which were family days, day trips,  beach trips, park outings and drives down a steep hill just for the thrill of hearing us yell. No matter what you made sure we travelled, we were stuffed into a small Volkswagen and away we went. You may not have been fluent in English or map savvy and you did not like to stop to ask for directions until we were really lost. Yet that never stopped you from packing up and taking the family away,  As we got older, we have many cherished memories in Naperville, the pool, BBQs, smores over an open pit fire, strawberring picking, apple picking and your favorite sugar shack for your birthday and so many late nights spent just sitting around. You and mom were the happiest when we were all together. You enjoyed cooking for the family, especially your seafood feasts. We have watched you beat the odds so many times, you were a strong man and you knew it was time to go. We watched you suffer for such a long time, but even more so since mom passed. At the end we sat by your bedside, as you struggled to breathe. All we could do was sit close by . You went away. God eased your pain but broke our hearts. Now, where you used to be, there is a hole in our lives, your little corners stand empty, the house is silent, we no longer hear you. We roam the house and feel a void realizing that we will never see you again. We will quietly remember you every day and take comfort that you have been reunited with mom and snickers. You may no longer share in our lives but you will always be in our hearts. The death of a remaining parent is an incalculable lasting blow because no one will ever love you like a parent. You were ready to go but our hearts were not. You were so loved and will be so missed.