Venilia Correia Rodrigues

Venilia Correia de Sousa Rodrigues, 92, of Wethersfield, beloved wife of Laurentino Ferreira Rodrigues, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, October 12, 2025. Venilia was born in Portugal on February 18, 1933, to the late Fernando Fernandes de Sousa and Isaura de Macedo Correia. She was the oldest of four children. Venilia will be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She was the backbone and quiet strength holding the family together through the most difficult times. Her faith, rosary prayer, and strong devotion to the Virgin Mary gave her strength throughout her life. Venilia had an interesting life journey moving to different countries in pursuit of a better life. In the late 1950's she received a letter from her third-grade elementary school friend, Laurentino, requesting her hand in marriage. He was living in Mozambique, a Portuguese colony at the time. She traveled via boat to join him, married and gave birth to two daughters Carla Maria and Isabel Maria. Due to civil war, she and her family moved to Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, and then once again due to civil unrest, moved back to her country of origin, Portugal in 1976. As life was difficult in Portugal and with hopes for a better life for her children, she immigrated to the United States at age 48 in 1981. Venilia had various jobs to help support her family but by far the most important was "Caregiver. " Upon completing third grade (the highest education available to girls in her town at the time), she was sent to live with her godparents to help care for them and her grandmother. This living arrangement, where her main responsibilities were cooking and cleaning, not only helped her godparents and grandmother but also provided food and other necessities for her own mother and siblings as she brought them dinner every night. She also cared for and helped raise her youngest sister, Julia, who was 10 years younger. Julia considered Venilia to be not only a big sister, but also a mother. When Venilia moved to Mozambique, she first worked at a bakery and then a beauty shop before starting her craft as an artisan for her father's ceramics business. While working for her dad, she also helped care for her niece and nephew when her younger sister's husband tragically died and needed help with childcare. She continued her work in ceramics throughout her life in Portugal, until she moved to the States where she worked as a welder in a factory. Upon retiring, she once again returned to her calling as a caregiver when she was asked to be the caretaker for the house of the Portuguese priests at Our Lady of Fatima. At age 62, she left Our Lady of Fatima and provided fulltime daycare for her grandchildren until she physically couldn't anymore. Venilia was very talented despite only earning elementary education. She made the most beautiful roses out of clay and was an excellent painter. She loved to garden and could rehab any plant back to life. She was an amazing cook and famous for her thanksgiving stuffing and shrimp rice. Despite not being able to speak English, she would make you feel welcome in her home. She would hug you, feed you, and language was never a barrier. She had a contagious laugh and the gift of laughing at oneself, but her biggest gift of all was one of service and caring for others. Throughout life she sacrificed her own needs to care for those close to her heart with grace and love. She will be remembered for the most important job as "Mother" not only by her children but also grandchildren, nieces and nephews, sister, godparents and grandmother. Venilia is survived by her children, Carla Hawkins and husband, David, Isabel Reilly and husband, Joe, her grandchildren, Kelsey, Michael, and Isabel Hawkins, and Joey, Carly, Lenna, and Johnny Reilly. She is also survived by her younger sisters, Maria Manuela Correia de Sousa Soares and Maria Júlia Correia de Sousa Silva. She is predeceased by her husband Laurentino Ferreira Rodrigues and brother Francisco De Assis Correia de Sousa. Friends and relatives are invited to call on the Rodrigues family on Monday, October 20, 2025, from 9am to 10:30am at the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home, 34 Beaver Road, Wethersfield. A Mass of Christian Burial celebrating Venilia will follow at 11:30 am in Our lady of Fatima Church, Fatima Square, 50 Kane Street, Hartford. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Venilia to Hartford Health Care https://www.nfggive.org/donation/06-0646938. For more information, or to leave a condolence, please visit FarleySullivan.com. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Venilia, please visit our floral store.