Mary Shirley Pereira
Birthday: 1960
Mary Shirley Pereira is a fierce, devoted, generous, and compassionate woman who was a feminist long before she knew what the term meant. She was born in Thiruvananthapuram, India and lived in her home town of St. Andrews before she moved to the United States in 1978 at the age of 18. She married Mervin Pereira in 1987 and they created a lovely family together that moved from New York to Boston to Georgia and then to Arizona. She has taught and continues to teach her children the importance of being tenacious in one’s beliefs, being kind to everyone, and the value of being connected to one’s culture. To her oldest daughter, Rayshma, she has given the gifts of independence and creativity, to her middle daughter, Mekha, the gifts of motivation and diligence, and to her son, Ashik, the gifts of benevolence and strength. She is the nucleus of her family and her influence, filled with love, plants, food, beauty, and laughter, embraces everyone she knows.