Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva
| Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| First Lady of Brazil | |
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In role 1 January 2003 – 1 January 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Ruth Cardoso |
| Succeeded by | Marcela Temer (2016) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Marisa Letícia Rocco Casa 7 April 1950 São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil |
| Died | 3 February 2017 (aged 66) São Paulo, Brazil |
| Cause of death | Stroke |
| Nationality | Brazilian and Italian |
| Political party | PT (1980–2017) |
| Spouse(s) | Marcos Cláudio da Silva (1970–71; his death) Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (1974–2017; her death) |
| Children | Marcos Cláudio (b. 1970) Fábio Luís (b. 1975) Sandro Luís (b. 1980) Luís Cláudio (b. 1987) |
| Religion | Catholic |
Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva (née Rocco Casa; 7 April 1950 – 3 February 2017) was the second wife of former President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and First Lady of Brazil from 2003 to 2010. Lula's first wife, Maria de Lourdes da Silva, died in labour when Lula was in his twenties.
Marisa Letícia Rocco Casa was born in the city of São Bernardo do Campo, in the São Paulo Metropolitan Area, where she grew up, studied, worked, married and first became politically active. She was married to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from 1974 until her death in February 2017. They had four children and two grandchildren together.
Born to Italian grandparents (Lombards from Palazzago, Province of Bergamo), Marisa was the tenth of the eleven children of Antônio João Casa (son of Giovanni Casa and Carolina Gambirasio) and Regina Rocco (daughter of Mariano Rocco and Giovanna Boff).
Until she was five, Marisa lived at her family's farm. The area is currently known as the Casa neighborhood in honor of her family, one of the first ones to arrive in the area. In 1955, the family moved to downtown São Bernardo do Campo.
In third grade Marisa was entered in the school Grupo Escolar Maria Iracema Munhoz. At age nine she began working as a babysitter for three younger girls. At thirteen years old she began working at the Dulcora chocolate factory. Because she could not be registered as an official worker, her father signed an authorization so she could work as a chocolate wrapper.
At twenty-one Marisa became pregnant with her first son.
In 1973, a widow and mother of one son from her first marriage, Marisa Letícia started work as a state school inspector. That same year she met Lula at the Metallurgist’s Trade Union of São Bernardo do Campo. Seven months later they married.
In 1975, Lula was elected Head of the Metallurgist’s Trade Union of São Bernardo do Campo. This marked the beginning of Marisa’s political militancy. She encouraged other women to participate in the Trade Union of ABCD. In 1978 strikes began in the ABC region of São Paulo.
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