Maria Damian

Maria Damian, or Marcela as most knew her by, took on life with a kind of zeal and ferocious determination that is rare. Most of her life was filled with great happiness that came from her love and devotion to family, and a kind of professional success that few ever achieve. She was first and foremost a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a proud grandmother, but also an educated, creative, and talented woman in her own right. Although she faced some devastating events in her life, each time she met adversity head-on, and gained more power, strength, and courage than she ever thought possible. More than anything, though, she loved her family with all of her heart and all of her soul. Marcela's story, which spans continents, begins in 1921 in the breathtaking countryside of Romania. She was born on June 30th, to parents Stan and Ecaterina Baranescu, in the city of Odobesti, where her father was a prominent judge. Marcela was the youngest of three children in her family, her sister Elena was five years older, while the middle sibling George was two years older. She was born into a family where love and loyalty toward one another were of utmost importance, and education was highly valued. Literature, history, and science, were subjects that Marcela became familiar with early on through her parents instruction and reading. During Marcela's childhood, her mother stayed at home, and imparted on her a great appreciation for knowledge gained mostly through education and communication. Hosting family reunions at their home was a great way for Marcela and her siblings to socialize with the older adults. Hanging on their every word just hoping to hear more fascinating stories about culture, music, and politics, made them all quite cosmopolitan to say the least. Surrounded by her aunts, uncles, and cousins, Marcela was also learning the value of having a tight-knit family. Each experience she had during her childhood was laying the groundwork for her to develop into a very well-versed and mature young woman. In 1929 when Marcela was just eight years old, tragedy struck the family when her father passed away unexpectedly. Marcela's mother was devastated by the loss of her husband, so much so that she found it hard to carry on with life. Just two years after her father died, her mother passed away as well, leaving Marcela, her sister, and brother, orphaned. They were not without a home for long before one of Ecaterina's sisters, a teacher by trade, took all of them in as her own. After relying on one another for support through this difficult time, the bond between Marcela and her siblings that was already so strong became even stronger. Marcela was particularly close with her older brother George, partly because they were so close in age to one another. The two of them enjoyed each others company immensely, whether it was playing a game of chess together, picking up grapes out in the vineyard, or swimming, Marcela and George were nearly inseparable as children. Already armed with tremendous knowledge of the world, Marcela attended one of the most prestigious high schools in Romania, in the city of Brasov. Following her graduation in 1941, she enrolled in the University of Bucharest where she began an education in architecture. And, it was to no one's surprise when Marcela, a very intelligent woman, continued her education and earned her Master's degree in 1947. Architecture wasn't all that Marcela was learning about while at the university; she was also learning a little something about friendship and love with fellow architecture student Radu Damian. They both admired one another's creative vision, and artistic ability, and shared a love for music and art. In the years that Marcela and Radu were focusing on their studies, political upheaval was turning their country on end. In February of 1945, the American President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premiere Josef Stalin met near Yalta in the Soviet Union to decide the fate of the soon to be defeated Germany and its acquisitions. As a result of their meeting, Romania was given over to communist rule and, a short time later, barely resembled the sovereign nation it had been prior to WWII. Given their unfortunate fate, a whole generation of young, educated people had no desire to bring children up in that kind of atmosphere. Marcela, however, could not deny how much she longed to get married and raise a family of her own. She wanted to pour all of the love and affection on her children that she craved following the death of her parents. Her dream turned into a reality, when on Friday, July 3, 1948, she and Radu were married. The 1950's were a joyous time for Marcela and Radu, they celebrated the birth of their first son, Mihai and, three short years later, the birth of twin girls, Coziana and Corina. Marcela and Radu's celebrated careers as architects afforded them the opportunity to give their children everything they could have ever dreamed of. They had some of the most memorable holiday and birthday celebrations, took ski vacations in the winter, and spent summers at resorts on the Black Sea. Marcela also made sure to expose her children to the same things she was exposed to as a child. She introduced them to music, literature, and theater, only in a much grander fashion with symphony tickets, trips to Italy and Switzerland, private tutors, and a countless number of books. More than anything though, she provided them with a home that was full of love and where friends and family always felt welcome. And it was the little things, like the times spent snuggling with the kids in bed on Sunday mornings, that made life so wonderful. Marcela was also experiencing great success in her professional life during the time when her children were young. She worked for many years designing hospitals and medical facilities throughout Romania. Heading up a team that included her husband, and several other top-notch architects, it was very rare that their proposals weren't selected. She was well-known in her field, and rose to the highest level in her profession working for many years as the head of the architecture supervisory group for the National Department of Health until her retirement in 1976. Retiring when she was only 55, she was able to enjoy her teenage children, and spend more time traveling with Radu, something that they both loved and had become accustomed to. Even before Marcela's retirement the couple took frequent trips to Western Europe, often to visit her best friend who lived in the heart of Rome. At home, she loved to entertain, hosting dinner parties, which were sure to include fascinating discussions and stories about politics, history, geography, and travel. In 1978 the fate of the family would change forever when Marcela's brother, the President of the University of Bucharest, defected Romania's communist government. At once Marcela knew that her brother forsaking communism meant that she and her family would have to leave the country. Following in George's footsteps they applied for emigration and patiently waited. Finally, four years later on May 8, 1985, with Romania's approval, the family moved to America. The only thing missing from this otherwise perfect moment was Marcela's son Mihai, his wife Venti, and daughter Simona who stayed behind. Marcela absolutely adored her grandchildren, and Simona's birth in 1979 may have been the best day of her life. Now, in America she was celebrating again with the birth of Coziana's beautiful twin girls, Alexandra and Christina. Marcela's life up to this point was very rewarding. She was cherishing every moment of her existence with a healthy family and a happy home, until 1994 when Coziana was diagnosed with cancer. Marcela devoted every ounce of her being to making her daughter better. She spent every precious moment she had with her, secretly praying for a miracle, but it wasn't to be. In 1996, with Marcela and Corina at her side Coziana drew her last breath. After that, Marcela was devastated and the pain was so deep that she couldn't fathom how she was going to go on living. Two days later she had a heart attack and wanted to surrender to her health, but her grand daughters showed her that life was worth living. She recovered, and vowed to fill the void left by her daughter with as much love and attention to her grand daughters as she could. Marcela lost her husband in 1998, but now she knew the power of her own strength and found the courage inside herself once again to go on. Until the last days of her life, she remained the eternally strong woman that had earned her the love and admiration of all the people in her life, and, with her passing, the fond memories of all who knew her.