Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva (née Casa; 7 April 1950 – 3 February 2017) was the second wife of the 35th and 39th president of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and First Lady of Brazil from 2003 to 2011.
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Biography
Marisa Letícia Casa da Silva was born in São Bernardo do Campo as the tenth child in a working-class family of Italian descent. She worked as a caregiver from the age of nine onwards, and later in a chocolate factory from the age of fourteen.
In 1970, da Silva married her first husband Marcos Cláudio dos Santos, with whom she had one child. That same year, her husband died during a robbery assault.
In May 1974, da Silva married Lula da Silva, whom she had met the prior year. They had three sons together. Described as an "activist in her own right" and a "close advisor to Lula", she led the campaign for her husband's release after the military regime jailed him for his involvement in the 1978–1980 strike wave. However, da Silva was later seen as a "private person" who rarely gave interviews.
On 24 January 2017, Marisa Letícia da Silva suffered a stroke. She died ten days later on 3 February, at the age of 66 at Sírio-Libanês Hospital. President Michel Temer declared three days of official mourning. She was cremated the next day. Her ashes were interred in the Cemitério Jardim da Colina, in her native São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo.
Awards and decorations
Denmark: Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (12 September 2007)
Portugal:
Grand Cross of the Order of Christ (5 March 2008)
Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty (23 July 2003)
Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (10 April 2008)
Norway: Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (7 October 2003)
Spain: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
Sweden: Member Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star