Idevalina “Idy” Mendes Leca Fortes

Idevalina "Idy" Mendes Leca Fortes passed away on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at the age of 80. Born in Brava, Cabo Verde, where she grew up until her family made the journey to a new life in the United States.

Idy and her husband, John Bosco Fortes, settled in Brockton, Massachusetts, and built a home there. That home became something rare. It was a safe harbor. Her door stayed open to anyone who needed one.

She raised two children of her own, John and Laura. She also raised Katlin and Antonio Fernandes and adopted Jelisa Fortes. Over the years she welcomed many more family members through her door, some for a night, some for years, until they found their feet again. She never asked for anything in return.

Idy loved the way she cooked, in abundance. She made pots and pots of food and fed everyone who walked in. She dreamed of opening a little breakfast spot one day, just for the joy of feeding people. She loved to sew, she never missed her novelas, and she could talk on the phone for hours. She knew a little about everyone, and she carried it all with a laugh.

Her Catholic faith was the center of her life. She spoke often of God, of Jesus, and of heaven. She taught her children how to love, how to forgive, and how to treat every person as an equal, most of all those who needed a hand.

Idy is survived by her loving husband, John Bosco Fortes; her children, John Fortes, Laura Fortes, Jelisa Fortes, Katlin Fernandes, and Antonio Fernandes; her grandchildren, Carmine & Lucia Fortes, Jayvien Gomes, Julien Gomes, Jeremiah Gomes, Jahzi Texeira, Johzia Texeira, Blessen Barros, Kiryla Fernandes, Luna Goncalves and her loving dog Snowflake Fortes; her sisters, Alda Debarros of Brockton, Bazilissa Santos of Rhode Island, Maryann Macedo of New Bedford, John Lessa of Taunton, Avelina Mendes of Brockton, Maria Vieira of New Bedford, Yolanda Pina of West Bridgewater, Florinda Mendes of Bridgewater, Helena Mendes of Brockton; and a large extended family of all those she welcomed as her own.

Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Russell & Pica Funeral Home, 165 Belmont Street, Brockton, MA 02301. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, on what would have been her 81st birthday, at St. Edith Stein Parish, 71 East Main Street, Brockton. Burial will follow at Melrose Cemetery in Brockton.

The family asks that you honor Idy the way she lived. Help someone who can never repay you. Keep her name alive by sharing her stories. She was an angel, and everyone who knew her was in the presence of one.