Maria (dos Santos) Mendes, 60, of Ashland passed away unexpectedly Wednesday April 5th. Mrs. Mendes was born in Brazil and was the daughter of the late Aldelipes and Regina dos Santos. Mrs. Mendes was the wife of Clovis Mendes for 44 years. She was the loving mother of Robert Mendes and his wife Andree of Framingham, Vanessa Stratton and her husband Michael of Hopkinton, Alexsandra Arsenault and her husband Roger of Quincy. She was the beloved grandmother to Michael, II, Brianna, Marc, Ashley and 1 on the way. She is also survived by many in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews. A funeral service will be held Saturday April 8th at 11:00 AM in the Chapel of the Matarese Funeral Home (www.mataresefuneral.com), 325 Main Street, in Ashland. Interment will follow at Wildwood Cemetery in Ashland. Visiting hours will be held Saturday morning prior to the service from 9:00-11:00 AM.