Lena (Cardoza) Canto, 86, died Thursday, April 15, 2010, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton after a brief illness.

Born in Wareham, the daughter of the late Manuel and Mary Cardoza, she graduated from Wareham High School.

A previous resident of Randolph, Mrs. Canto has lived in Quincy for 23 years. She worked for many years as a waitress and was also a volunteer foster grandmother classroom assistant for the Quincy Public Schools.

She is survived by her son Earl L. Antunes and his wife Dolores, of Beavercreek, OH; her daughter Roberta J. Canto and her companion Courtland Ballard, of Boston; her sister Mary Bean, of Brockton; five grandchildren, Denyse Garcia, Charlene Aguilar, Nichelle Taylor, John Taylor and Dayne Taylor; 11 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by six brothers and one sister.

Her funeral will be Thursday, April 22 at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 2599 Cranberry Highway (Rt. 28), Wareham at 9 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Patrick's Church, High St., Wareham at 10 a.m. Interment will be in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Wareham. Visiting hours will be Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.

Donations in her memory may be made to American Lung Assoc., 460 Totten Pond Road, Suite 400, Waltham, MA 02451-1942. For directions and on-line guestbook visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com