Elena Vasiliu

Elena Vasiliu, 94, of Boulder, CO, passed away on January 20, 2021.
She was born in Romania on May 26, 1926, daughter of the late Dumitru and Valeria Gales. She is survived by her daughter Irina Frangopol, her son-in-law Dan Frangopol, granddaughter Andrea Watson, grandson Radu Frangopol, and two great granddaughters Emma Watson and Elizabeth Watson.
As a child Elena was a very good student, enjoyed singing and was very outgoing. She loved everything surrounding her and spent many summers at her grandmother’s large family farm hanging out with cousins, aunts and uncles. Her father was a judge and her mother a very dedicated housewife and an excellent cook. Elena loved reading and exploring interesting subjects.
She graduated from high school in 1944, got a Bachelor of Arts in English and went on to become a high school English teacher and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages at the Faculty of Medicine in Bucharest. While as an English teacher in 1958, one of her students was a 12-year-old curly-haired boy. That boy later married Irina. Small world.
Elena met her first husband Ioan Motet when she was in college. They married in the summer of 1946. They had a daughter Irina in May 1947 and divorced in 1954. She met her second husband Vlad Vasiliu at the hospital where her mother Valeria had a surgery. They married in 1956. Vlad passed away in November 1971. She was a widow for the past 50 years.
Elena moved to the United States after retirement in 1992 and became a US Citizen in 1998. During her stay in the United States, she spent time with her family and friends. She loved to travel, telling stories, reading tons of books, and watching movies. Elena had a fantastic memory and was always ready to talk about literature and history. She always enjoyed getting together with family and friends. Her cheerful and good spirit has always influenced the whole family. We will miss her dearly.