Willowdale Manor in North York has been housing residents who are about to enter their stage of retirement. 93-year-old, Vilma Gomes, has been living at the residence for 20 years.
Before residing at the manor, Gomes was born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. She is of Portuguese descent and the eldest child in her family. She had one younger sister but tragically passed away in Portugal and never came to Canada. Both her mother and father married in Brazil. Gomes and her family lived in Rio for about 3 year until eventually moving to Portugal. She explained that it was her father’s decision to move to Portugal. “After that…couple of years later my father want to go to Portugal,” said Gomes. She attended a Portuguese school rather than an English school so she never had the opportunity to learn English fully.
She married her eventual husband while she was in Portugal then moved to Canada after their marriage. “When I married, I moved to Canada”. She later gave birth to her son and daughter. Gomes has been living in Canada for about 15-20 years now. Her four grandsons and great grandchildren were all born in Canada. Some of her great grandchildren still currently live in Canada while some are living in Portugal. “I got three in Portugal and four…I think four here.”
Gomes currently lives a peaceful life at Willowdale Manor. “I love it,” said Gomes. “I can go live somewhere else, but I like the neighbors and the neighbors like me…I don’t move.” During her spare time, she enjoys various activities from knitting, crocheting and sewing. She also volunteers in the nursing home next door. Gomes treats her volunteer position like a full-time job. In fact, she is no stranger of being in charge. For several years, she worked in a clothing factory as a supervisor where she supervised employees in the sewing section.
Life wasn’t always easy for Gomes. Not only did she lose sister, but she also lost more loved ones over the years. One loss that came to mind was her son, a former engineer who worked for an electrical company in South Africa. He passed away from a long-term illness. “He leaves his wife and the children… still here in Canada.” Another loss that was difficult for Gomes was the loss of her husband who tragically succumbed to skin cancer. Her husband used to work for a town on the beach somewhere in Africa. His job required him to be outside and he was always out in the sun. There he was working under harsh weather conditions. “He’s a very good man in his job, at home, family, father, husband”. Even though those losses were hard for her, she continues to move forward.
From moving from one country to another and losing her loved ones, there have been many challenges that Gomes faced. She reflects everything that has happened in her life and took it as something that is enough to live a life that was descent and honest.
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