Maria Teresa (Ovalles) Liberato

Maria Teresa (Ovalles) Liberato, 73, of Providence, Rhode Island, passed away peacefully on December 26, 2022. She was a twenty-one-year cancer survivor. Maria is predeceased by her beloved husband of fifty-three years, Jose “Lalo” Hilario Liberato. Maria was born in Los Mates del Palmar, Villa Gonzalez, Dominican Republic to the late Agustin and Carmen Ovalles.

Maria was a gifted artist who enjoyed several art forms. Her artistry was present in her work as a gardener and farmer. In her home of Los Mates del Palmar, Maria planted and arranged bouquets of flowers which brought joy to those who she offered them to when journeying in Los Mates and traveling half a mile from the mountain countryside to sea level regions of Villa Gonzalez. Her love of nature also thrived in her Providence home and garden, represented by the various flowers and plants which she cared for there. In the company of her loved ones Maria would recite poetry and sing songs, many of which she learned from family and friends as they sang when farming numerous crops in Los Mates. Maria was known to give dear ones gifts that she beaded, crocheted, or designed from fabrics. Maria was a tremendous cook and the delicious meals she prepared gave many comfort. Her kindness, humor, and love emanated everywhere she was present and to each person she met, and she made her Providence home a welcoming place that provided her loved ones a sense of home. Maria will forever be loved and admired by everyone who was fortunate to know her.

Her love and determination to provide for her daughters was the reason Maria emigrated to Providence, Rhode Island in 1979. Maria worked as a solderer and, working alongside her husband, secured visas for her young daughters who joined them in the US in 1982. 

Maria is survived by her cherished daughters, Miguelina (Meg) Liberato and Ramona Liberato, both of Providence. She is also survived by her beloved granddaughters, Elyssa Rose Perez, Idalys Marie Perez, of Providence, her siblings Bartola Ovalles, Consuelo Ramos, Guadalupe Ovalles, Maurice Ovalles, Milagro Ovalles, Oscar Ovalles, and Rafael Ovalles, her cousins, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. Maria was predeceased by her siblings, Agapito Ovalles, Angel Ovalles, and Jesus Ovalles. 

A Mass of Christian Burial in honor of Maria will take place Thursday, December 29, in St. Michael’s Church, Providence at 12:00 PM. Visitation will take place in “WOODLAWN” Funeral Home, 600 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM. Graveside burial will be in St. Ann Cemetery.

The family of Maria Teresa Liberato appreciates flower arrangements and/or contributions to the Elayne Walker-Cabral Medical Scholarship Endowment, which was established by Idalys Marie Perez, Maria Teresa Liberato’s beloved granddaughter, through the Rhode Island Foundation.

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