Evelyn May (Archibald) De Silva, who lived in the Taunton area nearly all her life and who was a descendant to two English families that helped settle New England in the 1600s, died Wednesday in Taunton at the age of 95 where she was a resident of “The Arbors”. She was born in Toledo, Ohio, on June 1, 1917, when her parents, John R. Archibald and Ruth M. (Bullock) Archibald, moved there briefly to find work; but she was just a toddler when the family returned to Taunton. There she was raised, first on North Walker Street and then in a house on Winthrop Street surrounded by two younger sisters Lois (Thornley) and Joyce (Moore) and the family’s horses and dogs. In her youth, she worked in the Red and White Grocery on Winthrop Street, where her father, the proprietor, was known as “Honest John” for his fair dealings. A graduate of Taunton High School, she married Albert R. De Silva of Taunton in June of 1944, just days before he was shipped overseas for combat in Europe. After the war, they settled first on White Street in Taunton and then on Winter Street in Dighton, where they raised their two sons. Mrs. De Silva served as a Cub Scout leader taught Arts and crafts and worked in the office of the Raytheon Plant in Dighton. Over the years, Mrs. De Silva was active in the Woman’s League of Voters, found joy in creating oil paintings for her family, and wrote occasional articles about Taunton history that were published in The Taunton Daily Gazette. After her husband retired from his job as plant manager of the Bacon Felt Co. in Taunton, they lived in Greenville, RI. for a few years before moving back to Dighton. After her husband died, she lived in Norton with her son Dennis before spending the last few years of her life in The Arbors, an assisted living facility on County Street in Taunton. She is survived by her sons Dennis R. De Silva of Greenville, RI.’ a retired hotel executive who now operates Frates Drive In on Somerset Avenue in Taunton, and Bruce De Silva of Howell, N.J., a retired Associated Press editor who is now a successful crime novelist; a sister Joyce (Archibald) Moore of Syracuse, N.Y.; six grandchildren; and twelve great grandchildren. Funeral services will be private. Her ashes will be interred with her husband at the National Veterans Cemetery in Bourne, MA. Donations in her memory can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 311 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA, 02472.
View Full Information → Evelyn May DeSilva 8/15/2012 Taunton, MA