The delightful Maureen “Mo” Silva is a very sociable, upbeat lady who can add a dramatic flair to even the most mundane occasions.
When her meal arrives at lunchtime, for example, Mo might triumphantly exclaim, “Ta-DA!” as if she had magically pulled a rabbit from a hat.
When making an exit, she flashes a big smile and chirps, “Ciao!” in a “catch-ya later” tone of voice.
Mo’s warm demeanor personified the home that she and her late husband – Joseph – created for their children: Andrea, Parker and Suzanne.
“We’re all huggers – that’s how we were brought up,” Andrea said. “People say we get that from our upbringing by our mom.”
Another trait that Mo apparently passed along to future generations is her notorious fondness for chocolate.
Her granddaughter Ashley – a longtime nursing assistant at Decatur House – recalls Mo bringing her to a chocolate festival as a young child.
“My mom says I get my sweet tooth from my gram,” Ashley said.
Mo’s cozy East Weymouth home was further enhanced by her creativity and keen knack for design. “She was always into painting, wallpapering and decorating,” Andrea said.
But cooking? Not so much.“Our father did all the cooking,” Andrea said. “He was an amazing cook!”
Perhaps Mo and Joseph didn’t bond over cooking, but they shared a lifelong passion for the Boston Red Sox. A bit of an athlete herself, Mo also ran some 5K races, played tennis and skated.
Following a lengthy career as an executive secretary, Mo was a real estate agent, a career in which her sparkling personality was certainly an asset. And, to be sure, she closed every big sale with a triumphant “Ta-DA!”
