Anna Branco Francisco died peacefully on April 7th, 2025 at the age of 91 at the Tranquility Hospice Wellstar facility in Austell, GA after a brief illness, with her son David Francisco and daughter-in-law Carmin Lenius Francisco by her side.

Anna was born November 22, 1933 in Waterbury Connecticut. She was the daughter of the late Izauro Rodrigues Branco and Amália Santos Branco and widow of Sebastian Ventura Francisco (1929-2015), whom she married on May 31, 1954. 

 

Anna is survived by brother Francis I. Branco, Sr. of Waterbury, CT, son Philip Francisco and daughter-in-law Carolyn Ross Francisco of Groton, MA, and son David and daughter-in-law Carmin of Mableton, GA. She is also survived by five grandchildren who she loved dearly, Amália Francisco (New York City), Charlotte Francisco (Carbondale, CO), Sarah Francisco (Fort Collins, CO), Beatriz Francisco (Nashville, TN) and Troy Francisco (Mableton). Anna is also survived by dozens of cousins, nieces and nephews. They were collectively a major part of the fabric of her life, and she virtually never forgot to acknowledge a birthday or anniversary of theirs with a card, a call, or both.

 

Anna was deeply religious and committed to her family, as well as fiercely proud of her Portuguese heritage. She was always friendly with people, outgoing, and always willing to drop what she was doing and do whatever was possible to help others. And she had a lifelong love of dancing, reading, music, puzzles of all varieties, and games – particularly marathon sessions of Shanghai Rummy.

 

She was a graduate of Waterbury Catholic High School, with an educational specialty in Business. She began working as a travel agent at the Madeline Roberts Travel Agency straight from high school and continued from 1951 through 1991, rising to become the agency manager and eventually the owner-operator of the business, upon Mrs. Roberts’ retirement in the early 1970s. 

 

She continued operating the business, with a special focus on serving the Portuguese-American community locally, until she retired and sold the business in 1991, and was a member of the American Society of Travel Agents for well over 30 years. The strong, lasting legacy of Roberts Travel Agency still reverberates in the city today, more than three decades on.

 

Partially because of her vocation and partially because of her genuine interest in people, Anna had a lifelong passion for travel adventures and understanding of other places and cultures which she instilled in her sons and grandchildren. And after her own mother was no longer able to do so, she helped carry on a family tradition of epic holiday parties and feasts - particularly around Christmas and the annual Easter “Portuguese sweet bread tasting contests” - filled with food, family, music and fun.

 

Anna was deeply involved in the Portuguese community and church in Waterbury, CT. She was one of the founding members of Our Lady of Fátima Church in Waterbury, and among the many who put in tireless work to help the church get established, be physically built, and eventually become an important religious and cultural icon in the community.

 

She served as the Head of Religious Education for Children (CCD) at Our Lady of Fátima Church. With her aunt Olympia Santos Pinto, Anna was one of the first women commissioned as an extraordinary minister of the Holy Communion (Eucharistic minister) at the church in 1983.

 

Anna was one of the founding members of the Portuguese Ladies Auxiliary in Waterbury, where she served in roles as President, Secretary and Treasurer, and was also a founding member of the Ladies of the Rosary affiliated with the Portuguese church in the city.

 

Professionally, Anna devoted countless hours and energy in her efforts to empower and help women succeed in her footsteps. She was a long-time member of the American Business Women’s Association and served as the chapter President. The local chapter of the ABWA also named her their “Woman of the Year” in 1984.

 

She was also a member and served a term as the local Waterbury club President, of Quota International, whose mission is “to empower women, children, the Deaf, hard of hearing and people with speech difficulties in local communities around the world”.

 

After spending parts of their time there for nearly two decades, she and Sebastian established their permanent residence at the Regal Palms Condominiums in Palm Springs, FL in 2005. Anna served in several roles on the leadership board of the Regal Palms Condominium Association, including serving multiple terms as its President before stepping down in 2022.

 

Arrangements: A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, June 21, at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Fátima Churchin Waterbury. Friends and family are asked to meet directly at church. Burial will follow in All Saints Cemetery. Following the burial, friends and family will be invited to join us for a joyous reception and celebration of Anna’s life.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Anna’s name can be made to Our Lady of Fátima Church, 2071 Baldwin St., Waterbury, CT 06706, and to the Women’s Business Development Center, 132 Grand Street, 2nd Floor, Waterbury, CT 06702 (or online at: ctwbdc.org/support-wbdc/donate/).