Viola T. Ciola, of Huntington, entered into Eternal Life on October 26, 2011, at Griffin Hospital in Derby. She was the beloved wife of the late Joseph Paul Ciola, Sr.
Mrs. Ciola was born in Ansonia on April 22, 1926, daughter of the late Guistino and Jennie Arnone Pantalone. “Vi,” as she was affectionately called, was known and loved by many.
After graduating as her Class Valedictorian from Ansonia High School in 1943, she attended the Bridgeport Hospital School of Nursing, graduating with top honors. She then served many years as a Registered Nurse and Nursing Supervisor at Bridgeport, St. Vincent and Griffin Hospitals.
Once her sons received their college degrees, she then pursued a baccalaureate degree in Industrial Nursing, again graduating with top honors. She served in that field for several years at Avco Lycoming and Sikorsky Aircraft, and then for several more years as a school nurse.
Throughout her entire Nursing career, she was a proud volunteer with the American Red Cross, and received an honor of distinction from them for her long and faithful service. Vi had a remarkable ability to connect on a very personal level with everyone she met, treating each person as the most special person in the world, and making them feel that way, as well.
Her genuine love of life and people, along with her joy and sense of humor, were infectious – even while carrying the cross of a prolonged illness – and others really loved being with her right to the end.
Vi was an active member of St. Lawrence Parish in Huntington, and was professed as a Third Order Carmelite in the Mystic Rose Chapter on December 6, 2001, after several years of spiritual study and formation. This was one of her proudest achievements, and she loved her Carmelite family of sisters.
Vi and her beloved Paul lived a truly incredible life. They shared an adventurous spirit, traveling on many pilgrimages and other trips to many countries, especially Europe. As members of the “Greatest Generation,” their lives epitomized the timeless values of Faith, Family and Friends, and service to others.
Their sons – three U.S. Veterans and one who served his country in the Defense Industry, and all Eagle Scouts – will continue to benefit from those lessons and the many others they gleaned from such wonderful parents, and will continue that legacy with their own children. After many years of yearning for a daughter, God finally granted her desire with the great gift of her “adopted” daughter, Olivia. They shared a beautiful, spiritual relationship overflowing with laughter, music and love. Now her life was complete.
Vi will be sorely missed here below until that glorious reunion when we see her again.
She is survived by four loving sons, Commander Joseph P. Ciola Jr., USNR (Ret.) and his wife Karen of Auburn, CA, Colonel Robert A. Ciola, USAF (Ret.) and his wife Lisa of Burke, VA, David G. Ciola, Commercial Airline Pilot and current Quality Assurance, Flight Operations for Duncan Aviation, and his wife Debra of Provo, UT, and Lieutenant Commander Ronald J. Ciola, USNR, and his wife Toni of Richland, WA, a brother, Samuel Pantalone of Ansonia, three sisters, Rita Fazzino and Rose Goggi of Ansonia and Annamarie Cook of Middletown, nine grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a brother, Thomas Pantalone.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend her funeral on Saturday, October 29, 2011, at 9:00 am from the SPINELLI-RICCIUTI/BEDNAR-OSIECKI FUNERAL HOME, 62 Beaver Street in Ansonia, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am at St. Lawrence Church in Huntington. Interment will follow in the family plot in Mt. St. Peter’s Cemetery in Derby. Visiting hours will be held on Friday FROM 5 – 8 PM. In lieu of flowers, individuals are requested to make a donation to the “Viola Ciola Scholarship Fund” established by Olivia in her native Ghana (to do so, make the check payable to “Olivia Boamah” with the name of the fund in the memo. To send an online condolence, please visit http://www.spinellifuneralhome.com.
