Elvira S. Silva, 93, went home to be with Our Lord in the early morning hours of April 27th, from complications of a stroke she suffered last May, while visiting friends and family in Arizona. She leaves behind her daughter, Filomena (Filly) Ornelas, Oxnard, and her son, Robert A. Silva, Camarillo; her sisters-in-law Evelyn Miller of Oxnard and Bonnie of Prescott, AZ; many nieces, nephews and other relatives in the U.S., Canada, and the Azores Islands, Portugal. Elvira was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond R. Silva, her four sisters: Rosa, Maria, Amelia and Aira; and her two brothers: Lawrence and Manuel.
Elvira was born on the Island of Sao Jorge to Maria Leontina de Mattos and Manuel Soares Morais. She became a housekeeper and each household showed her talents for cooking, cleaning, sewing and especially embroidery. One day a letter arrived from America from a farmer's mother (Teresa Silva) wanting her son to marry a Portuguese woman. Letters were written back and forth. Our mother agreed to marry this lima bean farmer from Santa Rosa Valley and come to America. She knew what he looked like, his Christian Catholic values and set upon a new adventure in the U.S. In 1950, our Father flew to the Islands to marry her and stayed six weeks. He had to get back to his crops which meant she had to fly by herself not speaking English the following year in 1951.
She learned how to speak English by watching television especially western movies and shows like Bonanza and murder mystery series such as Perry Mason. She did get to meet William Hopper, Perry's sidekick at the old Penney’s store in Oxnard. He lived at the beach at the time. One year at the County Fair she won almost all the blue ribbons in the clothing and textile division.
In 1963, after having two children, Raymond and Elvira, moved to Camarillo Heights to be closer to town as mom did not know how to drive. When she became a housekeeper again, she did get her drivers permit with the help of one of her employers, Vi Farson. Mom liked gardening, picking lemons, butterflies, the color yellow, English Royalty and the Pope. She valued her Portuguese culture by baking Portuguese sweet bread, making kale soup with linguica, and many fish dishes. She managed to go to her homeland twice and would watch the waves locally and long to go back to visit. After becoming an American citizen, She helped sponsor many relatives to come to the U.S. for a better life. She loved going to Portuguese festas to eat sopas, trips to see her relatives and friends up north and feeding the birds along the Rincon. Her very special trips were seeing her nieces Iria (pre-deceased), Annette; her nephews, Rufino, Eleuterio and their families. In the last few years, her constant companions were her Rosary and TV. Every morning she would say her prayers, watch EWTN for the rosary and Mass and her soap, Young and the Restless and MeTv into the wee hours.
We wish to thank Shoreline Care Center for their caring as well as Vitas Hospice and her many visitors. In Arizona, we wish to thank, Del Webb Hospital and Lake Pleasant Nursing Home and most of all the entire Farson Family for which we will forever be indebted and Dr. Hany Fouad of Camarillo. In lieu of flowers, please donate in her memory to Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association in Ventura. All services are under the care of Conejo Mountain Memorial Park on Saturday, May 6th with Visitation at High Noon, Rosary service at 1 p.m. and Burial immediately following.
Condolences may be left at www.ConejoMountain.com

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