Eleanor C. Furtado

Eleanor C. Furtado, of Scituate, passed away at South Shore Hospital on January 5th at the age of 91, in the loving arms of her devoted granddaughter Kellie Murphy-Roche.

Eleanor was the wife of the late Robert J. Furtado and mother of the late Robert A Furtado.  She was the mother of Gail O'Toole and her husband Lawrence of Hingham.

Eleanor leaves her grandchildren- Robert Furtado of Austin TX, Kellie Murphy-Roche of Scituate, Caitlin Murphy-McKinney and her husband Daniel of Norwell, the late Ryan Patrick Murphy, Jennifer Furtado of NC and Amanda Furtado of NH.

She was admired and loved by her great grandchildren Jacquelyn MacDougall and her husband Andrew of Boston, Cassie Raphel of Taunton, Reilly Roche of Merrimack, NH and Caroline and Leah McKinney of Norwell.

Eleanor Furtado – known affectionately to her family as Ellie, Nani, or Nani Noodle – lived her life with a steadfast dedication to her values. She was quick to love, quick to share, and quick-witted with a laugh or a joke.

Nani was first and foremost selflessly committed to her family, and truly embodied the concept of unconditional love. She was the constant shelter in the storm, someone who welcomed anyone with open arms and without judgment, no matter what. She was the first to demonstrate that her kind and giving nature was certainly not a weakness, and in moments where she needed to stand up for herself or for others, she was never one to back down. It was this combination of outspokenness and love that made her family strong – or at the very least stubborn – and she was quick to remind them it was the “Irish” in all of them.

In 1947, she stood up for her love by eloping with the late Robert “Bob” Furtado. Against the wishes of her family the young Irish girl bucked tradition and started a life with a Portuguese boy. With a likely combination of stubborn will and the greatest love story ever told, she was married to him for 70 years until his passing in 2018. Their marriage was the foundation of generations of love within the family.

Nani’s love wasn’t limited to people. She loved all creatures, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. She couldn’t stand to watch “that ASPCA commercial,” and when she lost her beloved dog Midnight, Nani honored her legacy like a lost family member. The family has countless tales of Nani and Papa interacting with the creatures around them, both wild and tame.

The whole family is grateful that she can now rest with our beloved Papa, who has surely been waiting for her  – and for his tea – for some time.

Nani, a message to you from your family until we meet again:

We will see you in every small and fuzzy creature, and in every murder mystery or movie broadcast of ALIEN. We will hear you in every big band number. We will remember you with every whoopie pie, grilled cheese, and “are you hungry?” We will hear your firm voice every time we stand up for someone, telling us to “bop ‘em one.” We love you, and we will remember you how you told us you would want to be remembered: as a “strong independent woman” who loved the heck out of us.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Eleanor’s name may be made to the Scituate Animal Shelter.