Manuel Walter Lima was a uniquely kind and compassionate soul who loved his family.

He was born in Nossa Senhora do Monte in Brava, Cabo Verde on April 5,1954 to his loving parents, Raimundo F. Lima and Rosa (Rodrigues) Lima and passed away on August 25, 2024. After migrating to the United States in 1968 with his parents and siblings and eventually settled in Brockton, MA where the family bought their first home on Sylvester St. The triple decker, with its sloped driveway and view of the neighborhood park, was home to multiple generations of the Lima family. This home was a source of pride for Walter as he continued the legacy of providing a base for generations of Lima's to live, celebrate holidays and come together in times of need.

As a young man, Walter showed great talent and skill in his ability to build and repair just about anything which became a real asset to his family. On any given day, one might have found him in the backyard working on his blue 1969 Mustang Fastback. Or putting his niece's brand-new training wheels on her bike so she could learn to ride on her own (he was the best uncle!) Or you may have found him putting up drywall on the addition he built to his mother's kitchen. Walter never met a renovation or repair project he couldn't master.

Walter was a graduate of the Brockton High School Class of 1973. But rather than pursuing his dream of attending college, Walter began work to help support his family soon after the loss of his father in his senior year. Walter hardly ever missed a day of work. Not even a cardiac event in his early forties that resulted in the placement of a pacemaker could slow him down or keep him from providing for his growing family.

He married his wife, Autilia, in 1980 and was the father to Sandra, Tracey and Avelino and grandfather to Stephanie, Ronald Steven and Julianna. Walter's love and commitment to family extended to not only his parents, Raimundo and Rosa, his six brothers, Pedro, Julio, Henrique, Antonio, Reinaldo and John, and two sisters, Stella and Joanna, but also their spouses, his numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Walter cherished his wife, children and grandchildren but he also had a way of making everyone he encountered feel special. He loved to tell a good story to make you smile and always had an encouraging word to share.

It is said that when an elder dies a library is burned. Fortunately for us, Walter preserved the knowledge of our Lima family history in countless reels of film, VHS tapes, SD memory cards, DVDs and photo albums. In the coming days, weeks and months, as the family tries to process his absence, we hope to find solace in seeing his smile and hearing his voice again on one of his old camcorder films.

Calling hours will be held at the Russell & Pica Funeral Home, 165 Belmont St., Brockton on Tuesday, September 3rd from 4pm to 8pm. A funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, September 4th at St Edith Stein,71 E. Main St., Brockton. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Brockton.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Walter R. Lima Memorial Fund for the Children of Nossa Senhora do Monte, a memorial fund created in his memory to provide much needed school materials for the children of Nossa Senhora do Monte, Brava.