Durvalina Soares Machado passed away peacefully at home on the day of Our Lady of Fatima October 13, 2026 surrounded by her sons.

Durvalina was born November 30, 1931 in Porto Judeu, Acores, where she met her husband Arthur. They were married 38 years until his passing. They had two children, Arthur and Tony, while they lived in Terciera. In 1968, the family was sponsored by her sister Gabriela and her husband Robert Murphy. They immigrated to the United States, settling in Arcata.

Once she arrived in America she worked as a seamstress. She was very talented and had many, many clients. Durvalina and Arthur welcomed their third and final child, Michael, making their family complete. Durvalina was the happiest when caring for their boys! She then welcomed her two grandchildren Nick and Neil — along with Nick came a bonus granddaughter Rae Ann, Nick’s wife. Nick and Rae gave her the pleasure of having two great-grandchildren, Aliyah and Giana.

Next to her family, Durvalina’s greatest love was her faith in God. A devoted parishioner at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, she attended Mass every Sunday, always “dressed to the nines” with her hair and nails meticulously done.

Durvalina was fiercely proud of her Portuguese heritage. She was an active member of the Portuguese Hall and loved attending all the Portuguese Festas. She enjoyed traveling with family and friends, but what she loved most was simply walking around the corner to her mother’s house. There, they would spend their evenings drinking coffee made by her mom, watching telenovelas on the Spanish-language channel, and laughing and shouting playfully at the actors. Those were some of her happiest times.

Durvalina experienced two great, profound losses in her life: the passing of her son Tony and her brother Tony, both of whom would have done anything for her. These were sorrows she never truly got over. She is the last of twelve children to make her final journey to heaven, where no doubt all of her brothers and sisters are already talking over one another. As she used to say in her endearing broken English, “amentasio” — meaning a moment of silence — let us take one now in honor of her.

She is survived by her sons Arthur and Michael; her grandchildren Nick, Neil, and Rae Ann; and her great-grandchildren Aliyah and Giana; along with numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Casket Bearers: Frankie Oliveira, Anthony Lourenco, Neil Machado, Nick Machado, Arthur Machado, and Michael Machado.

Services: Services will be held on Monday, October 19, 2026, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Arcata, with the Rosary at 10:45 a.m. followed by the Funeral Mass at 11 a.m.

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to Hospice of Humboldt for their outstanding care. Arrangements are under the direction of Sanders Funeral Home.