And the Matriarch of the Year Award goes to…

Congratulations to Tina Del Castilho, who is being recognized this Mother’s Day as the Matriarch of the Year. She is kind, compassionate, loving, selfless and, above all else, she is very much appreciated and admired by her family.

As a mother, Tina has been there since day one. Desmond and his siblings cannot remember a time when their mother was not there for them, and that is because there was not a time that ever happened. Heck, Tina is always going to bat for her kids too, to the extent that she once chased down some older kids after they threw eggs at her kids on the walk home from the bus stop, and she even made these kids come back to the house to clean the egg off the front door of the family home.

At the same time, when it comes to being a grandmother, Tina is as good as they come. From trips to the zoo to sleepovers at Nanny and Papa’s, the grandkids love spending time with their grandmother (along with eating her spaghetti, especially her grandson Luke; he loves her spaghetti).

Overall, Tina is just super amazing. Her family looks up to her and appreciates so much about her, and they are grateful for her amazing personality and character.

In fact, her grandkids Olivia and Luke said some of their Nanny’s favorite qualities are:

“Generosity.

“Always encouraging and positive, especially with us; she is always ready to cheer us on at our various activities.

“She loves to laugh and have fun.

“Great listener.

“Loyal – she is driven by her family.

“Resiliency and stamina.”

There are so many other things that stand out to her family too. The more you dive into the woman that is Tina, the more you begin to realize why she is the amazingly recognized matriarch she is.

“She has taught me to never give up and to battle through the adversity,” Desmond said. “Watching my mom recover from a broken femur in her early 60s was very inspirational. You wouldn’t even know it today as she goes on long hikes while vacationing in Arizona. And she is always moving and active.”

Tina does not let anything stop her, which is why she is the successful, hardworking woman she is. She gives everything her all, and she always finds a way to put her best foot forward.

When Tina is not showing off her strength, she is showing off her selflessness. Her daughter-in-law Lynn says she cares so much about everyone and has the biggest heart in the world, and her kids and grandkids realize this too.

“Her granddaughter Olivia said that Nanny always cares about what she is interested in; she takes the time to ask her questions about these things, and even researches them for later conversations,” Desmond said. “Olivia often recalls one time when the two of them went to a store called Doodle Dogs and they got Starbucks and Nanny asked Olivia a whole bunch of questions about the dogs and pet toys, food, et cetera. Olivia loves dogs, so it made her feel amazing as it showed her grandma cared about what she was interested in. This is classic Nanny; she always cares about the kids and grandkids and connecting with each of them individually.”

Tina cares about every single loved one in her life, and she truly is not afraid to show it. She goes above and beyond to show her genuineness and her compassion, and her heart is consistently in the right place.

Tina is the Matriarch of the Year for this reason, and because she loves her kids and grandkids above all else. She is very much appreciated and admired, and she is loved as well.

“We love her very much and appreciate her and everything she’s done. We want her to know that we appreciate her more than she knows and we should tell her this more. She does so many things for us, but they don’t go unnoticed. She is always there to help us when we need something. Congratulations; this award is long overdue. We love you.” – Desmond, Lynn, Olivia and Luke