Maria Cristina Ciuca (nee Buraschi) passed away lovingly surrounded by her family in Alexandria, Virginia on June 15, 2022, after a short battle with cancer. Cristina was born on September 4, 1940, to her parents Eduardo G. Buraschi and Maria Cristina Dyer in Huánuco, Peru. She emigrated from Peru to the United States in 1958 and worked for the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC, as a Loan Records Analyst for approximately 28 years.
Cristina met her husband, Louis “Lou” Eugene Ciuca, on a blind date and they enjoyed 53 years of marriage together. She loved watching Lou sing in front of crowds at the U.S. Capitol and other locations as a member of the U.S. Air Force Band & Singing Sergeants. Cristina was very proud of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen and also teaching her children about her Peruvian heritage, including many family trips to Peru. She always looked forward to playing regularly scheduled Canasta card games with her friends from Latin America. She also loved spoiling her grandchildren, including midnight snacks against the parents’ advice! We will greatly miss her intelligence, wit, and the joy on her face while salsa dancing at the parties she delighted in hosting at home with family and friends.
Cristina was predeceased by her brother, Pedro Buraschi, as well as her mother and father. She is survived by her husband Lou and four children, Richard, Monica, Anthony and Eric, daughters-in-law Andrea Ciuca (nee Blumenfeld) and Carissa Ciuca (nee Sutherland), and grandchildren Antonio, Cory, Adam and Marin.
A memorial service to celebrate Cristina’s life will be held on Monday, August 15, 2022, at 10:30 a.m., at Good Shepherd Catholic Church located at 8710 Mount Vernon Highway, Alexandria, Virginia 22309. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that donations be made to the American Diabetes Foundation. A private interment service for Cristina will take place at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.DemaineFuneralHomes.com for the CIUCA family.
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