Teresa Maria Moreira

Teresa Moreira of Cincinnati, 39 years old, passed away peacefully and surrounded by her family on the afternoon of Saturday, April 30, 2022. She was born on December 16, 1982, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended St. William’s grade school and Seton High School.

Teresa had an immense love for animals and adopted both cats and dogs. She loved her Cincinnati staple foods like Frisch’s, Skyline Chili, LaRosa’s, Penn Station, and Trotta’s pizza, and she loved her mother’s and father’s homemade foods. She could snack on pickles all day and loved sour candy and Long John Silvers. Long John Silver’s was a favorite of our father, and every once in a while, he would take his wife and daughters out to eat at Long John Silver’s, so we’ll just blame dad for that! Her favorite color is blue, just like her mother. She loved listening to the music of George Michael, the band Bush, and certain songs by Evanescence, Seether, and Queensryche. Teresa had a great voice for singing too, and she participated in singing famous ABBA songs with her mother and other sisters, something that happens every time ABBA hits are played (and no, we won’t stop)! She was also good at cheating at cards, blaming her niece Lillian, and then acting surprised when called out on her cheating! Never a dull moment with Teresa!

She had a great sense of humor and was fierce in defending those she loved and helping others in need. Teresa also loved swimming and was a fish in water! She loved blasting her music and late-night drives in her manual stick-shift car. Her favorite voice to mimic was Stitch from Disney’s “Lilo and Stitch.” She loved to wrestle with her two nephews and niece, and those memories will never be forgotten by them. She loved scary movies and Marvel movies and would also fall asleep halfway through them. Teresa was a daredevil and loved Kings Island and loved riding roller coasters.

When it came to traveling, Teresa loved traveling to Canada and Portugal with her family! So many great memories were made on these family trips! Teresa also loved traveling with her partner, Matt, whom she reconnected with in the last couple of years. In the previous couple of years, they traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, and Yellow Springs, Ohio, where they did some hiking. Teresa also loved Matt’s grandmother’s tuna noodle casserole recipe. It was a blessing for Teresa and Matt to reconnect later in life!

Teresa is survived by her loving parents, Maria Lurdes and Jose “Joe” Moreira, her two sisters, Ana Moreira and Sandra Moreira Brooks, her brother-in-law, Ed Brooks, her loving niece and nephews, Lillian Brooks, Austin Brooks, and Brandon Brooks, her loving partner, Matt Martin, and the remaining aunts, uncles, and cousins of our Moreira and Naia families.

Teresa had Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, a genetically inherited condition that may result in serious lung disease in adults and/or liver disease at any age. In lieu of flowers, we are asking for donations to the Alpha-1 Foundation to be made in her name. The link to the foundation’s donation page can be found here: https://www.alpha1.org/how-to-help/help-raise-funds/donate/. Teresa also loved animals so if you feel inclined, please make a donation in her name to the ASPCA or another charity benefiting animals.

Our celebration of life for Teresa will be held on May 20, 2022, at St. Dominic church, located at 4551 Delhi Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45238, at 10:00 am. It will be a full Catholic mass. The burial will occur immediately after mass at Our Lady of Victory Cemetery, located at 810 Need Rd., Cincinnati, Ohio 45233. Once the burial is complete, we will head back to St. Dominic church and have food served in the church’s hall. If you plan to join us for food in the church’s hall, please rsvp to info.tmoreira.funeral@gmail.com so that we may provide the catering company with an accurate headcount. Thank you.

For those who cannot attend in person, St. Dominic Church will live stream the service. Please go here: https://stdominicdelhi.org/Worship/Mass-Recordings and click on “Live Steam” to view the funeral mass service at 10:00 am EST on May 20.

While we are devasted at the loss of our Teresa, she lives on in those of us who remain. She lives on every time we think of her or remember a memory we have with her. Death is just a physical end here on earth but will see our loved ones again and we know our Teresa is here with us in spirit. Let our loss be a reminder to everyone that tomorrow is not promised to any one of us, so, tell people you love them, forgive often, and be kind.

We will close by sharing one of Teresa’s favorite prayers, “The Footprints Prayer:”

One night I had a dream…

I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord, and
Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; One belonged to me, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of my life flashed before us, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that many times along the path of my life, there was only one set of footprints.

I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me, and I questioned the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
You would walk with me all the way;
But I have noticed that during the
most troublesome times in my life,
There is only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why in times when I
needed you the most, you should leave me.

The Lord replied, “My precious, precious
child. I love you, and I would never,
never leave you during your times of
trial and suffering.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.