CHICAGO, IL – Merces G. (Oliveira) de Freitas, 91, died peacefully on Nov. 25, 2019, in Chicago, Ill. after a long illness, with her sons by her side.She is survived by her son Michael de Freitas and his wife Jane Fisher of Buffalo, N.Y., their children Ani Freitas Fisher and Elia Freitas Fisher; and her son Andrew de Freitas and his wife Nancy Schuetz, of Chicago.Merces was born and raised in Funchal, Madeira, the next to youngest of five children, and went to nursing school in Portugal. She journeyed alone to the United States in the late 1950s to work as a nurse in Chicago. There, she met Andre de Freitas, who was also from Funchal, Madeira, though they had not known each other before.She soon gave up nursing and chose to spend her time raising her family, which eventually settled in Augusta. She enjoyed gardening, traveling, and sewing. A devout Catholic, she was also a tireless volunteer with her parish, St. Mary’s, in Augusta. She returned to Chicago in 2015.Visitation will be held on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at Plummer Funeral Home, Augusta, Maine. A mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, at St. Mary church, 41 Western Ave., Augusta.The family asks that instead of sending flowers, people wishing to do so could honor Merces’ memory and devotion to her community with a donation to a charitable organization of their choice that does good work in their community.