Alice Dacosta

Alice da Costa 1941–2025

Always up for new adventures, Alice da Costa returned to the light on December 21, 2025, at the age of 84, following a brief hospitalization after a fall outside her home in Livingston, Montana. Her unexpected departure has left a void in the lives of all who knew and loved her.

Born in Milford, Massachusetts, on June 28, 1941, to Portuguese parents, Alice’s early years were shaped by the sights, sounds, and cultural influences of newly arrived immigrant families and the bustling footwear and textile manufacturing industry of the region. She grew up in a small house built from her father’s own design, with a large yard full of gardens, fruit trees, summer vacations to Cape Cod, and a lifelong love of seafood.

Never one to sit on the sidelines, Alice as a teenager asked a cute Italian fellow named Leonard Verrelli from the neighboring town of Hopedale to a Sadie Hawkins dance. Their sweetheart romance blossomed into marriage when she was 19. The couple moved to Illinois so Len could continue his aeronautical mechanical engineering education at St. Louis University’s Park College. A baby boy soon joined the family, making the accelerated Air Force ROTC program even more challenging—but the family persevered.

Upon graduation, the travel adventures began. Air Force life took the young family south to Big Spring, Texas, for fighter pilot training, then east to McGuire AFB in New Jersey. The birth of a baby girl brought the family to four children before they were transferred to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam during the Vietnam War. Though life on the island was exciting and different, Alice never fully embraced the tropics due to a strong, lifelong dislike of cockroaches and spiders.

After military service ended, the family took a camping trip across the West, passing through Montana and the Yellowstone region—a hint of things to come—before relocating to Hartford, Connecticut, and then to Michigan for work opportunities. In Michigan, Alice truly came into her own. With two young children in tow, she bucked the social conditioning of the 1950s by pursuing a college degree, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Oakland University in 1972. A Master of Arts from Eastern Michigan University followed four years later.

With two degrees in hand, Alice began her career as an elementary school teacher in the area, all while the family lived on a small hobby farm in Manchester, Michigan. Life was hectic but joyful, balancing work, family, and a menagerie of farm animals that over the years included sheep, cows, horses, pigs, chickens, ducks, cats, and dogs. Her hobbies multiplied as well: spinning, weaving, sewing, painting, photography, cross-country skiing, and camping.

Seeking a change of scenery, Alice and Len considered moving to Alaska or Montana. Juneau won out due to a job offer. Once in Alaska, Alice realized she had missed out on independent life by marrying so young, and she struck out on her own. During this time of self-exploration, she worked for the State of Alaska inspecting child care centers, traveled, and—ever a lifelong learner—earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics from the University of Alaska Southeast.

Around this time, Alice met and fell in love with a tall, handsome, intelligent, and humble man named John Van Houten—an accomplished bicycle racer, avid outdoorsman, and gifted paddler. Their love was mutual, and they married in 1986. Forging a new chapter, they moved to Livingston, Montana, in 1990. Life in Big Sky Country was filled with quilting, volunteering, biking, traveling, participating in the Montana Senior Olympics, and taking countless friends and family into Yellowstone Park to view wolves and wildlife. The many dogs they adopted and cared for over the years held a special place in both their hearts. Alice’s love for Montana and her friends, her passion for life, and her community minded spirit will be sorely missed.

Alice was preceded in death by her loving and devoted husband of 38 years, John Van Houten, and her parents, Antonio and Gloria Da Costa. She is survived by her son Chip Verrelli and his wife Sara; daughter Beth Verrelli; brother Antonio DaCosta and his wife Nancy Hay; grandchildren Eric and Lauren Verrelli; and three adorable great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Holbrook United Methodist Church on Saturday, April 25, at 11:00 am.  A reception will be held immediately following the service to which everyone is invited.

In lieu of flowers, you are invited to donate to your favorite charity in Alice's memory.

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