Marie Gonsalves (Duarte) Lopes, 72, of Oakland, California, formerly of New Bedford, died Saturday, June 6 at her daughter’s home in Onset.

Born in New Bedford, she was the daughter of the late Matilda (Pina) and John G. Duarte. A graduate of New Bedford High School, Class of 1960, she received her B.A. from San Francisco State University in 1975 and her M.Ed. from Holy Names College in 1980.

Mrs. Lopes was special education teacher and reading specialist for the Oakland Unified School District for 21 years and retired in 2001.

She was a communicant of St. Benedict Parish, a member of Knights of Peter Claver, Ladies Auxiliary and Cape Verdean West Association all of Oakland. Marie’s hobbies and interests included dancing, singing (especially karaoke), and attending local sporting events, particularly professional and little league baseball.

Her love of sports led her to accumulate a robust collection of professional sports memorabilia. A friend or former teacher of a fair number of professional athletes, Marie enjoyed organizing inspirational visits from professional athletes to her classrooms in the Oakland Public Schools, and she would also collect sports and playground equipment for the children in her classrooms and in her neighborhood.

Marie’s life-long love of reading, teaching and children was evident in her ongoing collection and disbursement of elementary instructional and reading materials, as well as gently-used clothing, to underprivileged children, families and civic organizations in East Oakland.

Finally, Marie never missed an opportunity to enthusiastically share details of her New England and Cape Verdean heritage with curious Californians.

She is survived by her daughters, Tyra Lopes Mendes and her husband George Mendes, III and Mikala Toni McCane all of Onset; two brothers, John G. Duarte, Jr. of North Dartmouth, and Robert Duarte of New Bedford; three sisters, Edith A. Costa of East Freetown, Bernice A. Duarte of Boston and Eleanor Vandiver of New Bedford; five grandchildren, David A. Girten, Dasia Marie McCane, Alton J. McCane IV, Summer R. Mendes and Selena L. Mendes; one great grandson, Devin M. Girten and many nieces and nephews.

Marie was preceded in death by the following siblings: Dorothy Woodland, Dominga Soares, Mary "Maisie" Oliver, Alice Harris, Barbara A. Pires, William Delgado, Pauline Watkins, Joseph Duarte, Joaquim Duarte and Matilda Perry.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, June 19 at St. Patrick’s Church, 82 High St., Wareham at 10 a.m. Burial will be private. Visiting hours have been omitted.

Donations in her memory may be made to: Oakland Firefighters Random Acts at www.ofrandomacts.org. Arrangements by Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home. For directions and on-line guestbook visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com