Sebastiao Afonso da Silva

Sebastião Afonso da Silva, 87, of Cortlandt Manor, NY (formerly of North Tarrytown & Ossining), passed away on August 1, 2018 in Portugal. 

Sebastião was born December 22, 1930, in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, son of Portuguese parents, the late Maria Cândida Andrade da Silva and Afonso da Silva.  At five months of age, he and his family returned to Alijó, Portugal, where he was raised and educated.   

At 22 years of age, Sebastião returned to Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, where he met and married, his beloved wife of 55 years, Aldina Miranda da Silva, on January 19, 1957, who predeceased him in 2012.  On October 7, 1957, Sebastião and Aldina arrived in the United States and resided in North Tarrytown, NY until 1971, when they moved to Ossining.

A deeply devoted family man, Sebastião worked at General Motors in North Tarrytown until his retirement in 1989.  He was a generous soul, who would always help anyone in need.  He loved to sing, dance and play guitar and was an avid “Sporting Clube de Portugal” soccer fan.  Sebastião had great pride in his Portuguese heritage and culture and felt equally proud to be an American.   

Sebastião dedicated over four decades of his life as a Pillar in the Portuguese American Community.  He worked tirelessly as a Volunteer in the many different roles he held over the years.  On May 4, 1968, he co-founded the “Fernão de Magalhães” Portuguese School, where he was the Director for 13 consecutive years; the school is still active today.  Ten years later, in 1978, his personal dream for the Portuguese Community was fulfilled when they broke ground for the current location of the Portuguese American Cultural Center of the Tarrytowns (PACC).  Sebastião was also one of the founding members of the “Portuguese Civic Association of the State of New York”, and was honored with the “Man of the Year” Award in 1991, after many years of dedicated service to the Association.

Sebastião is survived by his daughters, Candida Miranda da Silva Rodrigues (Carlos) of Buchanan, NY and Cecilia Miranda Silva (Arlindo) of Cortlandt Manor, NY and grandchildren, Steven Silva (Angela), Crystal Rodrigues Horgan (Todd), Craig Manuel Rodrigues (Christine) and Sabrina Silva Mara (Richard) and great-grandchildren Jake, Olivia, Sophia, Kendall, Camryn and Callie.  Sebastião is also survived by his siblings, Walter A. da Silva (Leonilda), Elza A. da Silva Soares (Antonio) and Bráulio A. da Silva, as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Sebastião was predeceased by his sister Alice A. da Silva Dinis.

Visitation will be Friday, August 10th from 4:00 - 8:00 pm at Coffey Funeral Home, 91 North Broadway, Tarrytown, NY.  Funeral services will follow on Saturday, August 11th at 10:00 am at St. Teresa of Avila Church, 130 Beekman Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY.  Interment will follow at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Sebastião Afonso da Silva can be made to a memorial fund in support of Maria Ferrari Children’s Hospital Foundation, 100 Woods Road, Taylor Pavilion, Suite C3, Valhalla, NY  10595.

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