Mary T. Gonda

Mary T. (Sousa) Gonda, 92, of Somerville, MA, passed away peacefully on January 18, 2025, at Grace House of Windham, in Windham, NH. Mary lived in Somerville for over 70 years. She was born on August 27, 1932, in Cambridge, MA, to Rose and Alfred Sousa. She was the beloved wife of the late Louis Gonda, of 63 years, and a loving mom to the late Karen Bettencourt.

Mary is survived by her son Kenneth L. Gonda and wife, Patricia, of Windham, NH; Karen’s husband, Kenneth Bettencourt, of Port St. Lucie, FL; her sister, Eileen Bongiorno, of Medford, MA; she is also a beloved grandmother to Tiffany Gonda and partner Jason Cutter, Michael Gonda and his wife Samantha Suarez, and Janeth Gonda and her partner David Walters; a beloved great-grandmother to Adrianna, Liam, Sean, and Mariana; beloved aunt to nephews Mark, Doug, Ronnie, and niece Patty and the late Colleen.

Mary prided herself as an Executive Secretary to the President of Brewer & Lord Insurance Company. Her family, along with her husband, Lou, was the center of her life. Mary was happiest when her whole family came together, always including her sister, Eileen, and her family. Mary’s children played sports, and Mary was there to cheer them on. She was the “scorekeeper” for the Little League games. It made her laugh when the kids would say, “Did you give me a hit? No, it was an error.” Mary’s favorite sports team was the Bruins, but she enjoyed all sports. Wear your earplugs because boy, could she scream!

Mary was an avid reader. She had a 3-ring binder in which she kept track of the authors and the books and then rated them 5 stars or less. We would use that binder at the bookstore to purchase books by the authors she rated as 5 stars.

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