Benedicta Miranda Garulo

Benedicta ""Ms. Benny"" Miranda Garulo, age 83, passed away the morning of August 17, 2015, surrounded by her family. Benedicta was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brasil. She came to the United States in the 1950's to live and work in New York City. She also lived in New Jersey and Florida, and she moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the 1970's where she fell in love with the people and the Coast's natural beauty. Every morning she would go outside to look at her flowers and plants, drink her coffee, and put out bird seed. She loved listening to the wild birds. She worked very hard to provide for her family. She was a homemaker and foster mother and had jobs as a cook, nanny, caregiver, seamstress, and even took on the challenge of being a fork lift operator in the late 70's. After she retired she enjoyed going to the Senior Center in Gautier where she would spend time enjoying her friends, painting, doing ceramics and crafts. She never met a stranger and always opened her door to anyone that needed her because she was guided by her faith. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church since 1976, and attended until her illness three (3) years ago. The most important things to her were her love of God, family, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Manoel Fagundes Miranda and Maria Angelina Pasinati Meneghatti; her brothers, Kinney Fagundes, Martine Fagundes, Claudio Fagundes, Dionysio Fagundes, and Euclides Fagundes; and her sister, Masionilla Fagundes.
She is survived by her daughters, Rose M. Garulo and Jeannette ""Jhoni"" L. Garulo; along with many nieces and nephews; and by the many friends who came to be her family and who she loved and considered to be her brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren.
We wish to give a special thanks to Dr. Eva Magiros, Cindy Green (NP), Linda Denehie (RN), and Olive Black, and the entire staff of the Coast Cardiovascular Consultants P.L.L.C. who cared for her and gave us the gift of more time with our beloved mother, Benedicta. Thank you to Dr. Joe C. Furr and Dr. Amber Colville and the staff of New Wave Internal Medicine. We also thank Deaconness Home Health, with special thanks to Judith Bruner (RN) and to Kerri Kavanagh Romeo (Physical Therapist) who provided loving care for Ms. Benny. Thank you to the staff of Burnham Drugs in Gautier. A special thanks from the family to Riemann Family Funeral Home for their extraordinary kindness and compassion in helping us through this difficult time in working with our family to honor our mother's wishes.
A visitation for family and friends will begin at 10:00 a.m. until the the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 29, 2015, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 809 De La Pointe Drive, Gautier, MS. Interment of her cremated remains will be on Monday, August 31, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, 8910 Carl Legett Road, Gulfport.
RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME is serving the family and an online obituary may be viewed and memories shared at www.riemannfamily.com.