We are mourning Carmen Pacheco Medeiros, a community leader and educator who served as a member of the MAPS Board of Directors for the past 20 years and played a crucial role in the early years of the organization.
Medeiros died peacefully at 89 years old on Tuesday May 31, 2022, surrounded by her loved ones.
The MAPS Board of Directors said, “We are deeply grateful for the many wonderful memories Carmen’s beautiful laughter, warm hugs, and her great love of life and those around her. We are forever grateful for her lifetime of dedicated service to our community as a proud teacher and as a founder and longtime member of the board.”
Ana Medeiros was born in Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel, Azores, on Oct. 23, 1932. She immigrated to the United States at the age of 20 and married Joseph Medeiros shortly after. Ana raised five children during her time as an educator and earned a Master’s degree in Education from Boston University.
After her retirement Medeiros spent time supporting social causes. She soon rejoined the MAPS Board of Directors and has served as a fierce and passionate community advocate for 20 years.
President of the MAPS Board of Directors Susan Pacheco said, “She was a force of nature and a role model of what it means to support your community, not just as a board member but also throughout her professional career.” “Our community is poorer today because of her loss. We send our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.”
Patricia De Oliveira relied on Dr. Medeiros for comfort and reassurance many times during her teaching career.
“Carmen was my family’s first-grade teacher in Cambridge when we moved from Brazil. She delivered important information about schools and the community to newly-arrived families during assemblies. I remember her getting excited for her students when they learned a new word or phrase in English. I’ve seen that same enthusiasm in Carmen as a fellow board member of MAPS, and she’ll always be an example of the impact an educator can have on their community.”
Memorial service will be held on June 11th at 11 a.m. in Medeiros’ honor at the St. Anthony’s Church. Contributions can be made to the MAPS charity fund at 1046 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 in her memory.
