Margarida Sousa Uva, the wife of Portugal’s former Prime Minister, Durão Barroso, died today from cancer, according to her family.
The 60-year-old mother of three died at her home. She had been diagnosed with cancer of the uterus in 2014.
Margarida Sousa Uva married José Manuel Durão Barroso in 1980. One of her roles was as president of the Portuguese Missing Children Association.
Durão Barroso, former President of the European Commission, now works for the US investment bank Goldman Sachs.
In an interview in May 2015 after completing a round of chemotherapy, Margarida Sousa Uva said she had hope, but "above all, a strong desire to live."
She also has an unerring belief in Portugal and dreamed of “a prosperous Portugal, fairer and more respected by our European partners."
The union produced three children: Louis Barroso, Guilherme Barroso and Francisco Barroso and a five-year-old grandson.
Durão met Margarida in a university café in Lisbon in 1975 and were married five years later.
In 2002, she met Filomena Teixeira, the mother of missing child Rui Pedro and embraced the cause, becoming the president of the Portuguese Association for Missing Children.
In an interview, Margarida Sousa Uva said of Filomena Teixeira that she felt "very deeply her suffering, which is stamped on the face. This leaves no one indifferent. "
The Prime Minister, António Costa has sent condolences to Mr Barroso on the death of his wife and the Social Democrats have sent a message to the media saying that "it received with dismay the news of the death of Dr. Margarida Sousa Uva. Her husband and former party president, José Manuel Barroso, his children and the rest of the family, have the deepest condolences of the PSD."
The president of the Portuguese Missing Children Association published a post on the association's Facebook page stating that staff all are in mourning.
"Margarida, as everyone called her, will always be remembered for her good humor, heart, humility and love of children," wrote Patricia Cipriano.
