Agnes C. Fonseca

Agnes Claire Fonseca, of Gaithersburg, MD, passed away peacefully on February 27, 2026 after a long and courageous struggle with dementia, with her family by her side.

Agnes was born in Boston, MA, on September 16, 1943 the second of five children of William H. and Rita E. (Ring) Waldron, and the newest member of an expansive set of cousins in the Waldron, Murphy, Duffy, Connolly, and Gibbons families. She was educated in the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Boston, graduating from Matignon High School in 1961.

Inspired at an early age by her mother Rita's model of service and charity, she earned her R.N. from the Catherine Labouré School of Nursing in 1963.

On February 16, 1968, Agnes married the love of her life, David Anthony Fonseca, also of Belmont, an engineering student whom she met at a volleyball game. They soon moved to Laurel, MD, where David continued his education and began his career at the National Security Agency (NSA).

Agnes and David made their home on Marton Street in Laurel, where they raised their two sons, Thomas and Mathew. Agnes devoted her time and talent to the Laurel community, serving as a long-term kindergarten substitute and parent volunteer at Margaret Edmondson Elementary School. She concurrently taught kindergarten-level religious education (CCD) at St. Mary of the Mills Catholic Church, where she and David were parishioners for 50 years.

As her boys progressed to middle school, Agnes returned to work as a nurse at the Laurel Nursing Home and then at Laurel-Beltsville Hospital. She also performed medical screenings for many years as a volunteer at the Laurel Senior Center. Agnes retired from Laurel Regional Hospital in 2002.

In her retirement, Agnes and David enjoyed national and international travel, and were avid and regular supporters of theater in the DC-Baltimore region. They were fixtures on the sidelines, stands, and auditoriums of their grandchildren's athletic and academic events.

Agnes is survived by her sons Thomas (Noelle) of Rockville, MD, and Mathew (Brett) of Gettysburg, PA; her grandchildren Andrew (Abby) of Vicenza, Italy, Joshua (Mallory) of Colorado Springs, CO, Jack of Washington, DC, Aidan of Los Santos, Panama, and Caroline and Natalie of Gettysburg, PA; and her great-grandsons George and Oliver of Colorado Springs, CO. Her sisters Mary Ellen (Fred) of Belmont, MA, and Ann (Tom) of Boca Raton, FL, and brother William of Amherst, MA, also survive her.

A mass of Christian burial will be held on June 6, 2026 at 11 AM at St. Mary of the Mills Catholic Church, 114 St. Mary’s Place, Laurel, MD.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Agnes's memory may be made to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland https://theclarice.umd.edu/ or the Alzheimer's Association https://www.alz.org/