[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 191 (Thursday, December 13, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2569-E2570]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF ALICE KATHERINE MATTOS SANDERS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2007

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise along with my colleague from 
California, Congressman Dennis Cardoza to pay tribute to the life of 
Alice Katherine Mattos Sanders of Merced, CA, who recently passed away 
at 110 years of age. Mrs. Sanders was an outstanding lady filled with 
energy, love and high spirits. She leaves behind a loving family 
including a daughter-in-law, six grandchildren, fourteen great-
grandchildren and twelve great-great-grandchildren.

[[Page E2570]]

  A strong matriarch born in 1897, Alice immigrated to America from San 
Jorge Island in the Azores in 1903 with her mother and brothers to join 
her father. Samuel Mattos, Alice's father, was already in America 
working and saving money for the family's travels. The Mattos family 
first settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Alice and her family 
experienced the legendary 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Soon after, 
the Mattos family decided to make their home in California's Central 
Valley in the lovely communities of Dos Palos and then Gustine in 
Merced County. It was in Gustine where Mrs. Sanders attended high 
school and met her future husband Clarence Leonard Sanders. They 
married in 1913 and moved to the State of Oregon soon after following a 
job offer made to her husband.
  After a few years living in Oregon, the couple and their two 
children, Isabel and Marvin, returned to the Central Valley and settled 
in Atwater, California in 1922. The family became entrepreneurs in 1947 
when they bought a farm and began operating a dairy and almond orchard. 
Alice worked as a seamstress for many years for a local company called 
Passadori's and it was during these times she befriended many people in 
the community who still remember her today.
  A woman described as kindhearted and courageous, Alice took pride in 
raising her children well and doing what she could to make sure her 
family's needs were met. In 1963, Alice and her husband Clarence 
celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. A year later, Alice would 
become a widow and still continue on as a strong, independent woman 
with many years to live ahead of her. As one of the world's oldest 
Portuguese women, Alice will be remembered for her formidable spirit 
and splendid character.
  Alice Sanders was part of a generation that endured incredible 
hardships to get to America and build a life for themselves and their 
families. Mrs. Sanders will be remembered for her commitment to her 
family and community and the lives she so graciously touched. She saw 
three centuries and a world full of change; she is a true inspiration 
to us all. I am honored and humbled to join her family in celebrating 
the life of an amazing woman.

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