Manuel Gonsalves Obituary

Manuel S. "Sonny" Gonsalves, 87, of Port St. Lucie, Florida and New Bedford passed away Thursday February 6, 2025 surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of Rachel A. (Pereira) Gonsalves.
Born in East Liverpool, Ohio, the son of the late Manuel S. and Mary (Santos) Gonsalves, he later lived in Boston where he graduated from Boston English High School. He later attended Boston University.
Sonny was a computer software developer who worked for Honeywell, Digital Equipment Corp., and IOCS, before opening his own business, Chi Programming.
During the late 1950s, he served in the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir, Virgina as a crew chief for White House evacuation helicopters.
Sonny was a private pilot who loved flying his plane locally and around the country. An avid bridge and chess player, he loved all types of card games. He enjoyed listening to jazz, dancing, and traveling around the world with his wife.
He is survived by his wife, Rachel; his children, Monique "Nikki" Soares and Manuel S. Gonsalves IV and his wife Katrina; his grandchildren, Christopher Soares, Michael Soares, Manuel Gonsalves V, and Cpt. Peter Gonsalves; his sister-in-law, Joy Pereira; and his brother-in-law, Garland "Chico" Blanks. He also leaves a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
He was predeceased by his siblings, Barbara Gonsalves, Franky Gonsalves, and John Gonsalves.
His funeral will be held on Friday February 14th at 8 AM from the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford, followed by his Funeral Mass at Our Lady of the Assumption Church at 9 AM. Burial with military honors will be in the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne. Visiting hours will be on Thursday February 13th from 4-7 PM. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Cancer Society or Bristol Hospice - Fall River. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
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