Purificacao F. Cristal

It is with immense sadness that the family of Purificacao Fernandes Cristal of Milford, CT announce her passing on July 16, 2026 due to complications from gastric cancer.

Loved wife of the late Antonio Dias Cristal, and mother of her late son, Eliseu (Lisa) Cristal, daughter, Julieta (J. Darrin) Smith, and son, John (Danica) Cristal. Grandmother (Vovo) to Ronan Smith. Dear sister to Lucinda Ferreira of Darien, CT and half-sister Ilda Preto of Portugal. Cao also had a number of other half-siblings in Brazil. She was Aunt and Grand Aunt to many nieces and nephews all over the world.

Subscribe

Cao, as she was known, was born to the late Francisca Fernandes of Constantim, a little village in the Northeast of Portugal in 1938. She lived a hard life as a young girl growing up only with a mother and a sister and being sent to live with an aunt and uncle for 10 years. At age 13, she took over the task of making the family bread every week – a job she took great pride in. She worked very hard as a farmer and sheep herder.

During this time, she was separated from her beloved sister, Lucinda, but the two frequently conspired to meet up with their animals in neighboring pastures so that they could spend time talking about their lives. They lived under the dictatorship of Salazar in Portugal who sympathized with Spain’s fascist regime under Franco. During this time, to get by, Cao sometimes smuggled coffee into Spain and was once apprehended and both her coffee, and profits from selling it, were taken by Spanish authorities. She was searched and had to walk 15 miles back home empty-handed.

She and her sister were separated again a few years later when her sister emigrated to Brazil and eventually, to the United States. They were reunited when her sister later petitioned for their mother (Francisca), Cao and her young family to come to Harrison, New York where they lived for 15 years.

Her life turned for the better at this time, and the family finally began to prosper. Cao worked as a talented seamstress and her husband worked as a skillful carpenter and stone mason, eventually with his own business as a contractor. They saved, invested and educated two of their children with college educations and the third eventually became a business owner.

Cao and Antonio retired in the early 1990s and moved back to Portugal. It was to be short-lived, as her husband passed away only five years later. Once again, Cao returned to the United States. And with her sister having lost her husband as well, the two finally were able to live together for a few years as they helped care for both their mother Francisa (Chica) and Lucinda’s young granddaughters (Liliana and Lucy Cullen), enjoying many long walks for exercise and conversation together and living convivially.

Cao moved in with Julieta, her husband Jeffrey Darrin Smith, and her grandson after his birth. They moved from New Rochelle, New York to Milford, Connecticut in 2006, where she has lived since with her daughter’s family. She celebrated the marriage of her youngest child, son John to Danica Wilhowy in 2018. She loved to garden. She was a talented crafter completing many beautiful and intricate pieces of traditional Portuguese crochet lace, making beautiful handknit sweaters for countless babies, sewing and cooking. Her family lived for her Thanksgiving meals, and many a happy occasion was celebrated in that house with her extended family. Christmas mornings, the family woke up to the fragrant smell of her rice pudding cooking in the kitchen.

In addition to all the people already named, Cao leaves behind countless friends and admirers who were always offered meals and often something from the garden to take home. She also will be remembered by Lucinda’s daughters, Cynthia Ferreira (Brian Cullen) and Sandra Ferreira, and her son, Sage Ferreira as well as her nephew, Paulo Raposo and his family in Portugal. She will be remembered by all with love and fondness. May she rest in peace.

A Graveside Service will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 10:00am in St. Mary Cemetery, Milford. To leave an online condolence, please log on at www.gregoryfdoylefuneralhome.com