Anna (DaVeiga- Dolphin) Almeida

Anna (DaVeiga- Dolphin) Almeida, at the age of 104 passed away peacefully on February 14, 2024 at Linn Health Care Center in East Providence, Rhode Island. Up until the end Anna maintained her faith, kindness, grace, compassion, appreciation of beauty, love of family, friends, and expressed gratitude for her long life, full of wonderful and varied experiences.

Anna’s life can best be encapsulated by Several Key words: Faith, Family, Friends, Hard Work, Flowers, Appreciation for Food and Fun. In her almost 105 years here with us she experienced an abundance of each.

Faith: As a young girl she formed a binding relationship with God, always striving to be a wonderful Christian in every aspect of her life. She carried with her rosary beads to thank God for her blessings and to pray for the well-being of her family and loved ones.

Family, Friends, Hard Work, Flowers, Food and Fun: Anna spent her early years in East Providence, RI. Her mother, Milita Tavares, and her father, Joseph (DaVeiga) Baker, were both from Cape Verde. Her mother passed away when she was eight years old and her father, a Longshoreman, needed to have their six children, Joseph, Edith, Bellla, Lena, James and Anna, move in with various family members. Anna moved in with her cousins, on Warwick Street in East Providence, RI, in the home of her maternal Aunt Anna and Uncle John DaVeiga, where she formed lifelong loving relationships with her cousins. While Anna had close relationships with her various cousins, she also so loved spending time with her siblings.

Anna always knew she wanted to someday raise a family of her own. When she met Llewellyn Dolphin, from Rutland, Vermont, who was in the U.S. Army, they fell in love, married and were blessed with their first child, Ann Marie. Upon Llewellyn’s honorable discharge from the army they moved to Rutland, VT. There Anthony and Gerald Dolphin were born. In 1950 they separated, and Anna relocated to Providence, RI to be surrounded by her family and friends.

She only attended elementary school, however she became self-educated. Anna always had a passion for reading. As a young girl she became a domestic worker. And as a young mother with three children to care for she reverted to the skills she had developed and once again became a domestic worker. She found work opportunities cleaning the homes of others as a means to support her family.


In 1962 she met Fredrick Almeida, who was a carrier man in the U.S. Airforce. They fell in love, married and the family moved to Maine, where Fred completed his last two years of service to our country.

In 1966 they purchased a home in East Providence, RI on Warwick Street, two houses from where Anna grew up.

This house on Warwick Street became the gathering place for family and friends.

Holiday gatherings in the kitchen, having great meals, telling stories, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Hosting cookouts in the backyard, always more food than our large group could consume. All centered around Anna, the corner stone of the family.

Anna and Fred spent the next twenty years together there until Fred passed away. Anna continued to live in their home for another twenty two years, well into her mid-90s.

East Providence was her home as a child and in her later years for a total of 84 years. Her final days were spent at Linn HealthCare Center. Where new friends were found, many becoming family. Anna demonstrated (showed off) her singing talent, played bingo, took trips and participated in any and every activity.

The nurses, activities team and administration staff at Linn are all incredible and exceptional people. They treated Anna as their mother, auntie and family member.


Anna was a beautiful person, a true gem who appreciated all that life gave her, the hard times and good times. Even in her diminished state near the end of her life, she never said “why me”. For her the glass was always half full.

Until she lost the ability to talk, Anna would express how grateful she was to have lived a long life full of wonderful experiences as well as a loving family, many good friends and compassionate care givers.

She was preceded in death by her loving parents, Joseph (DaVeiga) Baker and Milita Tavares, Sisters Lena DaVeiga, Bella Lobo, Edith DaVeiga, Joseph DaVeiga, James DaVeiga, her husband Fredrick Almeida, daughter Ann Marie Starks and son Gerald Dolphin.

She is survived by her son Anthony Dolphin, his wife Cynthia Dolphin of Westborough, MA, her stepson Anthony Almeida from El Paso, TX, her grandchildren Roseanna Casavecchia and her husband Andrew Casavecchia of Groton, MA, Thomas Starks and his wife Karen Starks of Barrington, RI, James Starks Sr. from Cranston, RI, James Starks Jr. from Cranston, RI, Karen LaRocca Shannon and her sister Sherry Courtemanche from RI,

John Childs and Gerald Childs of Warwick, R.I., Yvette Dolphin from Providence, RI, Anthony Dolphin Jr. and his wife Stephanie Dolphin from Dudley, MA, Arianna Dolphin and her husband Hedley Rossy from Marlborough, MA, her Goddaughter Elaine Briggs from East Providence, RI, her niece Rene Hall from N. Providence, RI, her greatgrandchildren Ashley Starks, Thomas Starks Jr., London Casavecchia, Sloane Casavecchia, Emery Casavecchia, Lex Casavecchia and Anthony James Dolphin.

Her funeral will be held on Friday February 23, 2024 at 8:00am from the REBELLO FUNERAL HOME, 901 Broadway , East Providence, RI with a Mass of Chirstian Burial at 10:00am in Our Lady of Loreto Church, 346 Waterman Avenue, East Providence.

Burial will be in the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Linn Health Care , 30 Alexander Avenue, East providence, RI 02914.

www.rebellofuneralhome.com