Dr. Hilda Candelaria, 67, of Hamden, CT died Saturday, April 9th at Yale New Haven Hospital, St. Raphael Campus. She leaves a son, Xavier Candelaria of Hamden, CT; four brothers, Efrain Candelaria and his wife, Iris of Worcester, Gilberto Candelaria and his wife, Lidia of Puerto Rico, Ruben Candelaria and his wife, Claribel of Fall River, and Manolo Candelaria of Puerto Rico; one sister, Ana Candelaria of Fall River; and many nieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by her daughter, Vanisse Vasquez.
She was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico the daughter of the late Francisco and Adelina (Gualdarrama) Candelaria. Hilda moved to Worcester in 1974, received her Doctorate degree from UMass Amherst and worked as an elementary school teacher for 15 years. She then moved to CT where she continued teaching for 35 more years. She is remembered for being funny and a social butterfly with her friends. She spent a lot of time traveling every year with her daughter before she passed, her favorites being Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Disney. Hilda was known as an Angel collector, as she had collected about a thousand of them over the years. She also enjoyed painting beautiful landscapes, such as her yard filled with flowers and sculptures. Hilda will be missed by her friends and family.
Her funeral Mass will be on Wednesday, April 13th at 11:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 38 High Street, Worcester. Burial will follow in Hope Cemetery. Her calling hours will be held on Tuesday, April 12th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at O’Connor Brothers Funeral Home, 592 Park Avenue, Worcester. O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME is assisting the family with services.