Maryann Ponte Palestine, age 70, of Fall River, MA and Boca Raton, FL, passed away February 20, 2020 surrounded by her loving family at her home in Fall River.
Born in New Bedford, MA, a daughter of the late John and Tina (Rodrigues) Ponte, she graduated from New Bedford High School, Westfield State College, and received a Master’s Degree in education from Antioch College. She was an educator in the New Bedford Public Schools for 34 years until her retirement.
She is survived by her husband Samuel G. Palestine, daughter Sarah Palestine, sister Louise Ponte, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Jane and Fred Jamieson. A celebration of Maryann’s life will be held on March 15 at 1:00 pm at the Country Club of New Bedford, 585 Slocum Rd., North Dartmouth, MA. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to her daughter Sarah’s Pan-Mass Challenge ride to benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Please send checks to 77 4th Avenue, Needham, MA 02494, for the account of Sarah Palestine, SP0296 or visit: https://profile.pmc.org/SP0296 Or to the Mass Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA). Please send checks to MSPCA-Angell, Attn: Donations, 350 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130 or https://www.mspca.org/donate-