Natal Pires Batista

Natal Pires Batista at 91 years of age, passed away surrounded by family on Monday, July 24, 2023 in Elk Grove, California.

Natal was born on December 25, 1931 to Lourenco Pires and Maria Lourdes Bettencourt in Terceira, Azores. Her parents and sister, Maria Amelia Azevedo predeceased Natal.

Natal grew up surrounded by five sisters and many cousins, aunts, and uncles who were a support during her childhood. As the eldest daughter, she became a secondary mother to all the younger sisters. It became her goal to not only teach and guide them, but to ensure that they did not sneak out of the house at night to meet up with local boys, who were attentive to a brood of beautiful girls. Natal’s sisters adored her and never left her side, even when the family immigrated to the United States. When her mother died, she became the head of the family, a role she relished until the very end of her life. It is no secret that her sisters were her angels, as she often called them when they arrived to visit her in her later years. They became each other’s support systems.

Natal married Joe Batista in 1956, who she described as the love of her life, and they had four children. In 1966, Natal and her entire family immigrated to Sacramento, California where she dedicated her life to taking care of her children, grandchildren, and sisters.

Raising four children in a new country presented some challenges that she eventually overcame. She learned to drive a car with the sole purpose of taking her kids to school. She was also pivotal in ensuring that her children gained a college education which was a goal she was not able to fulfill for herself.

She was a devoted mother and grandmother.  Her grandchildren, however, were the light of her life and she showered them with unconditional love. They worshiped their grandmother and in turn she adored each of them. She was known for giving the occasional twenty dollar bill so they could buy a little something for themselves or for gas money.

She was known to make an entire meal of dessert and was a master shopper who was known to occasionally hide her purchases in a secret closet. Her preferred holiday was Halloween, and her home was decorated with multitude of witches.

Natal leaves behind her four children: Paul (Fernanda), Isabel, Duarte (Maria), and Theresa Lee (Larry); six grandchildren: Jessica, Erika, Brandon, Nicholas, Alexandra, and Brian; and four sisters: Maria de Lourdes, Madre Deus (Joe Beirao), Conceicao, and Rosa Maria (Victor Fonseca).

In lieu of flowers, our family requests that a donation in her name be made to Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) or American Heart Association (heart.org).

Public services will be held on Friday, August 4, 2023, with Visitation at 1pm, Mass at 2pm and Interment at 3pm. Services will be held in the main chapel at Saint Mary’s Cemetery and Funeral Center, 6509 Fruitridge Rd. Sacramento, CA 95820.

On behalf of the Batista family, we express our deepest appreciation for all the love, support, condolences, and prayers.