Jeannette Silva

Jeannette (Baker) Silva, aged 97, of Taunton, MA passed away peacefully on June 11, 2020 at the Life Care Center of Raynham after a period of declining health.

Jeannette was born on January 2, 1923 in Springfield, MA to Arthur and Mary (Flaherty) Baker. She was the eldest of her siblings living into adulthood. At age 12, Jeannette moved to Taunton and became a lifelong resident of the city.

Prior to her retirement, Jeannette worked for many years as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) at the Paul A Dever State School in Taunton, starting in the old barracks and later working in Cottage C. She treasured her working years at the Dever School.

Jeannette had a beautiful soul imbued with love, cheerfulness and concern for others. She enjoyed writing letters in longhand to family and friends, keeping them up-to-date about family news and her life. She loved her many pets, having an abiding compassion for animals, and was an avid reader. Jeannette kept her door open to guests, and she relished sitting with company around her kitchen table, sharing stories and looking at photographs, over a cup of tea. Many will fondly recall her stories about the past.

Jeannette especially loved her family and was a devoted and much-loved sister, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and aunt. She was also blessed with numerous friends. She always made the best of things and found time to chat with, and listen to, others. Jeannette had a knack for making people feel loved and special, particularly if someone needed help. She also delighted in seeing other people do well and was a font of good advice, common sense and encouragement. She was always there to help. To many, Jeannette was the salt of the earth. She will be dearly missed and forever remembered irrepressible, irresistible and irreplaceable.

Jeannette is survived by her sister Pauline Jackson, her daughter Karen Berggren and son David Silva, her three grandchildren Laurie, Richard and Scott Berggren, three great grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. Jeannette was predeceased by her sisters Dorothy Baker and Elizabeth (Betty) Barker and her brothers Raymond, Howard, Robert, Eugene and Frances Baker. She was formerly married to the late Gilbert Silva.

People are in some ways like points on a map. We know who we are and what we are because of the people we love and our reasons for loving them. Jeannette was an immense landmark on that map for the people that knew and loved her.

Services will be private. Arrangements provided by Riendeau-Mulvey Funeral Home, 467 Bay St. Taunton, MA 02780. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial made to the animal charity of your choice. If you would like to leave the family an online condolence, please visit www.r-mfh.com.

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