Manuel P. Amaral was the “cool uncle” who would take his young nephew, Michael Souza, out for lunch on Saturdays and buy him a toy when they later went shopping.
“He was very loving, very caring. He’d help anyone out,” Souza said of his Uncle Manuel, who died June 11, 2020, from COVID-19 complications at St. Luke’s Hospital. He was 74.
Amaral, who lived most of his life in New Bedford, suffered for years with likely post-traumatic stress disorder that he developed from his service as a U.S. Army soldier in Vietnam, Souza said.
Assigned to a tank unit during the war, Amaral had a nervous breakdown in combat and struggled to cope during the ensuing decades. He didn’t speak much about the war, but told his nephew about how his unit had fired rounds at the enemy for 30 days straight.
“He would just have these flashbacks,” Souza said. “If there was a loud noise, he would literally jump.”
His nephew said Amaral, who was given an honorable medical discharge from the Army, suffered mental effects from taking high doses of thorazine after the war. Still, Amaral worked for years as a box maker for Alden Corrugated in New Bedford until his retirement. He loved animals and cars, especially his 1968 Pontiac LeMans.
“I remember growing up, he was always working on his cars,” said Souza, of New Bedford, who added that Amaral also kept pet rabbits in his backyard and “loved” his dogs.
A VIRTUAL MEMORIAL
We remember you.
As the city emerges from the long siege of COVID-19, we pause to take stock of what – and whom – we’ve lost. Please help build this community memorial by adding a tribute to your loved one.
Amaral, who never married or had children of his own, spent the end of his life at the CareOne nursing home in New Bedford. Last spring, feeling sick, he was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he was diagnosed with COVID-19. He never left the hospital.
“He was failing,” Souza said in describing how his uncle looked the last time he saw him through a video live feed. Before he died, the hospital allowed Amaral’s sister, Nancy Souza, to be in the room with him while wearing full personal protective equipment.
Amaral was cremated, and it took the family about two months to get his cremains, said Souza, whose mother, Nancy Souza, has since died from non-COVID-related causes.
“My uncle’s ashes are here at home,” Souza said, “Next to my mother.”
Sign up for free
Our free newsletter will drop into your inbox weekday mornings, giving you all the highlights of our in-depth news stories and community arts and culture coverage.
SUPPORT OUR WORK TODAY
As an independent, nonprofit news outlet we are reliant on reader support to help fund the kind of in-depth journalism that keeps the public informed and holds the powerful accountable. Thank you for your support.
New Bedford Light is an IRS-determined 501(c)(3) Public Charity; all gifts are tax-deductible. Our EIN number is 86-2407296.
RECENT STORIES
- Follow The New Bedford Light for the latest updates on political races in the South Coast
- New Bedford-area teachers frustrated by state’s decision to raise MCAS standards
- DA hopeful McMahon favors treatment for addiction, while getting tough on drug dealers
- DA Quinn: Targeting weapons and drug traffickers makes streets safer in South Coast
- Incumbent Quinn and challenger McMahon swing away in testy Bristol DA’s race
- The Light on Radio: Jack Spillane talks monkeypox, heat islands, rising sewer bills, shell fishing and more