Why a Fund for Cleopatra's High School in Tangasseri, India?
After 9 amazing decades on Earth, Mary Cleopatra D'Cruz Lloyd da Silva ('Cleo') departed this life on October 13, 2025, to join in heaven her many beloved family and friends who predeceased her.
APOLOGIES for the system-generated, green-highlighted “Suggested amount”. Any amount is welcome.
This fund is being established to honor the life of a courageous and warm-hearted immigrant to the United States who was able to build a meaningful life here in large part due to the education she received from her Carmelite Catholic School in Kerala, India.
How will the Funds be distributed?
All funds raised will be distributed to Cleo's alma mater, the Mount Carmel Convent Anglo-Indian Girls High School, with any administrative or other fees being absorbed by Cleo’s children.
Founded in 1885, this exceptional school has been educating girls from all faiths, teaching tolerance and respect for human dignity while ensuring academic excellence and developing outstanding skills in critical thinking, curiosity, creativity, and ethical leadership in all students.
Who is Cleopatra D’Cruz Lloyd da SIlva?
Cleo was born in 1933 in the tiny fishing hamlet of Tangasseri on the idyllic Malabar Coast of Kerala, India. Her 92 years of living took her across continents and cultures, from Kerala to Madras, to Santa Monica and Arcadia in California , with stops in between at Beverly Hills, Australia and Luxembourg.
Her childhood as one of 8 siblings in a close-knit family was steeped in the rhythms of a bygone era: fishermen bringing the morning catch to the door so her mother could choose the freshest fish; cobblers visiting once a year to make handmade shoes for each child; the night watchman thumping his ‘lathi’ rhythmically as he passed the garden gate; and the scent of jasmine, coconut, and curry spices mingling with the aroma of candles burning for the nightly rosary.
Cleo’s love of learning began at Mount Carmel Convent Anglo-Indian Girls High School, where she received a stellar education from the Carmelite nuns. This early education was the foundation upon which she built a successful life as an immigrant and single mother of two in the United States.
Through Cleo's perseverance, she advanced her career from entry-level secretary to her final, pre-retirement role as Executive Secretary to the Head of the International Division at Atlantic Richfield Company.
In retirement, Cleo pursued her lifelong dream of higher education, earning Bachelor’s, Master’s, and a Ph.D. degrees in English in rapid succession from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. Her doctoral thesis, "Self and (M)other in Patrick White’s Fiction," was a groundbreaking work, earning her the University Research Medal, the highest honor awarded each year. Her thesis has been downloaded nearly 10,000 times to date.
Cleo took pride in her academic achievements because they embodied her belief in the transformative power of education.
She hopes her story—of dreaming boldly and persevering against the odds for decades—will inspire others.
We are grateful for any support you can provide to this humble but superb school in this tiny fishing village so that other young girls can pursue their educational dreams.
With gratitude,
Cleo Lloyd da Silva's family.