Obituary of Ioana Dragalina Tudoriu

Ioana Elena Alexandra Dragalina-Tudoriu

(Bucharest, Romania March 18, 1941 – New York, USA August 31, 2023)

To our beloved Ioana: mother, wife, sister, friend. Forever in our souls, forever with us!

Our adored Ioana has left us. Our hearts are filled with sorrow.

However, today we remember her soul, her zest for life, her wit, her energy. 

These precious memories lift some of our crushing pain.

Ioana was an intelligent, enterprising, optimistic person, who always embraced every morning as a meaningful God-given gift of love and adventure, a path full of positive, never-ending glorious surprises.

An incurable optimist, Ioana adored her family, her work, her two countries (the US and Romania) and her every day of existence. She embraced every God given moment with joy and gratitude.

Ioana was endowed with an avid intellectual curiosity: fluent in French, Romanian, German, and Russian, she was a passionate reader and used her vast knowledge to enrich her and our understanding of the world!

She had an advanced degree in Slavic languages and literature and adored the traditional Russian literature and history. She traveled extensively: from the snow-covered slopes of Norway and icy tundra of Russia. to the fascinating sites of the Orient and Africa, from Western Europe and its historical cities and rich museums, to South America and Antarctica, were – forever a patriot - at the southernmost Eastern Orthodox Church in the world, she raised the very first Romanian flag.

She returned several times to her beloved home-country of Romania and visited historic places where our grandfather, General Ioan Dragalina, our Father, Commander Virgil Dragalina and our uncle, General Corneliu Dragalina, heroes of the two World Wars, had lived and fought.

After emigrating to the United States in 1971, Ioana worked for over twenty years at the Montefiore Hospital, in the Bronx. There she learned a new profession, toiling alongside her husband, Dr. Constantin Florin Tudoriu, a microbiologist. She loved every minute of it and bitterly regretted, when due to family pressures and advancing age, she had to retire.

She had three children, Ioan, Ioana and Opritsa, whom she adored and raised with love of God and country.

Today friends from around the world sent their respect and deepest sympathy.

We will forever miss her beguiling smile, her laughter, her tenderness, and energy!

May God give you, beloved Ioana, eternal peace!

The memory of you will forever be our most precious treasure!

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Ioana noastra iubita ne-a parasit. Suntem cu sufletul indurerat.

Astazi insa vrem sa ne amintim de bogatia spiritului ei, de dragostea ei de viata, de energia si vitalitatea ei fara perche!  Aceste rememorari pozitive ne mai usureaza durerea.

Ioana a fost o fiinta inteligenta, intreprizatoare, optimista, care a acceptat greutatile vietii cu recunostinta, consideradu-le un dar Dumnezeiesc, un dar plin de surprize benefice si neasteptate.

Ioana fost binecuvantata cu bogatia curiozitatii intelectuale. Fluenta in limbile romana, franceza, germana si rusa, a invatat de mica sa citeasca cu pasiune.

Si cu generozitate-I caracteristica, ne-a facut partasi in intelegerea ei a lumii!

A absolvit Facultatea de Limba si Literatura Rusa si a adorat creatia literara clasica a acestui popor.

A calatorit prin toata lumea: de la culmile inzapezite ale Norvegiei, la tudra salbatica a Rusiei; de la fascinante locuri in Orient pana in sudul Africii; din Europa de vest, bogata in istorie si arta, pana in America de Sud si Antactica.

Acolo, la Polul Nord, la cel mai sudic punct al globului, Ioana, suflet de roman-patriot, a infipt steagul nostru tricolor in incinta Bisericii Ortodoxe “Sfanta Treime”, cea mai sudica biserica ortodoxa din lume.

S-a reintors de nenumarate ori in Romania ei draga, vizitand locuri sfinte, indeosebi cele legate de memoria inaintasilor nostri: s-a inchinat acolo unde au luptat in doua razboaie mondiale Generalul Ioan Dragalina, bunicul ei, generalul Corneliu Dragalina, Unchiul Cornel, si Comandorul Virgil Dragalina, Tatal Ioanei.

In 1971, dupa ce a emigrat in Statele Unite, Ioana a lucrat la Spitalul Montefiore din New York, alaturi de sotul ei, Dr. Constantin Florin Tudoriu, microbiolog. A muncit cu dediatie si pasiune si a regretat imens atunci cand, greutati de familie si varsta inaintata, si-au spus cuvantul si a trebuit sa se pensioneze.

A avut trei copii: Ioan, Ioana si Opritsa, pe care i-a adorat si i-a crescut cu dragoste de Dumnezeu si de patrie.

Azi, prieteni din intreaga lume au trimis mesaje de condoleante si amintiri duioase.

Pe veci ne va lipsi zambetul ei fermecator, tandretea cu care ne-a inconjurat si energia ei nepieritoare!

Odihneste-te in pace, iubita noastra Ioana.

Amintirea ta luminoasa este si va ramane, cea mai pretioasa comoara a celor care te-au indragit.