IOANA ILEANA CIUGUDEAN, daughter of Iosef and Viorica Gancean, was born January 16,1942, in Turda, Romania, and departed this life the morning of May 3, 2024, at her home in Lebanon, Missouri, surrounded by family, at the age of eighty-two years.
On October 13,1962, Ioana was united in marriage with the love of her life Nicolae Ciugudean. To this union was born two sons, both surviving. Ioana was widowed, having lost her beloved husband in 2012.
Ioana was a devoted wife and a strong woman. She followed her husband’s dreams across the world, starting her life anew twice. First in 1971 when she and her two young boys came to the USA to be reunited with her husband, leaving her parents, siblings, and many friends behind in Romania; second, when she moved in 1991 from her life in the suburbs of Detroit to rural Missouri where Nicolae chose to retire and pursue raising cattle. She adjusted and adapted, creating her life from scratch both times.
All the while she raised her boys, teaching traditions and family life. Ioana had them attend Catholic church and school, imbuing a moral foundation in their upbringing. She insisted on having her sons retain and know the Romanian language despite their having come to America as young children. She would tell them, “in the home you must speak Romanian” (lest you forget it). Ioana was the consummate mother in every respect - not a birthday went by without her making a cake. She was loved immensely by her devoted sons.
Throughout these years she was an accomplished homemaker, cooking, baking, sewing, knitting, and doing various crafts, were just a few of her myriad talents. In her free time, she enjoyed many things. She was at one time an avid painter, and often a gardener. Ioana liked playing board games and cards, she was especially enthusiastic about Backgammon, both online and off. She liked listening to music, particularly Elvis, and composing short poems just for fun. Ioana loved dogs and cats. She enjoyed working with chickens, and lots of other livestock alongside her husband; additionally, birdwatching and wildlife brought her joy.
Ioana had a sweet personality recognized by all who knew her, from friends and family to neighbors and strangers alike. What’s more, she had cherished lifelong friends - friends from her childhood with whom she kept in contact until the very end. Ioana was loved through the years by all those who had the pleasure of knowing her.
Ioana is survived by her two sons, Mike Ciugudean and his wife Laura of Lebanon, MO, and Adrian Ciugudean of Lebanon, MO; her grandson, Adrian Ciugudean, Jr.; her brother-in-law, Victor Adams and his wife Patricia of Fallbrook, CA; niece and nephews, Sarah, Victor and Joseph. As well as her nephew Alexandru D. Gancean and his wife Lynn of Springfield, MO; and her nephew Oliviu Ganceanu of Cluj, Romania; other relatives and many friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her siblings, Doina Puchiu, Vasile Gancean, and Alexandru Gancean.
