Delia Sylvia

New Bedford - Delia (Santos) Sylvia, of New Bedford, MA died on Friday, September 15, 2023 at Sacred Heart Nursing Home following a long battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a variant of Parkinson’s disease. She was the beloved wife of the late Ronald (Ronnie) Sylvia, who died earlier in the week.

The only child of Adelino M.L. Santos and Mary (Andrade) Santos, Delia was born in Fall River, MA and entered the Sisters of Saint Dorothy in 1960. As a Dorothean, she was a beloved teacher at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in

New Bedford, MA and at parochial schools in Detroit, MI and Staten Island, NY.

She and her husband, Ronald, were married in 1974, and shared 49 loving years of marriage, along with one daughter, Monica Ron-Del. During this time, she taught at St. George’s School in Westport, MA, and went on to serve

as a tax examiner for the MA Department of Revenue in Boston, MA for 26 years until her retirement in 2012.

No matter her job title, she remained a dedicated and passionate teacher at her core, and continued to hold her students close to her heart long after they left her classroom. Her warm smile, nurturing presence, generous spirit, and devotion to her family and friends will be greatly missed.

Delia is survived by her daughter, Monica R. Sylvia (Matthew Loveland), and grandson, Justin Sullivan (Aaron Cervantez), along with sisters-in-law, Elsie Louro and Shirley Sylvia, as well as brother-in-law Joseph A. Sylvia III

(Linda).

Visiting hours will be held at Perry Funeral Home in New Bedford on Monday, September 18, 2023 from 5:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M. Her funeral will take place on Tuesday, beginning in the funeral home at 9:00 A.M., and followed by A Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 A.M. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in New Bedford. Burial will immediately follow at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Fall River, MA.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her memory to Sacred Heart Nursing Home, 359 Summer Street, New Bedford MA, 02740

Funeral arrangements entrusted to Perry Funeral Home, 111 Dartmouth Street, New Bedford