Virginia Congetta Perri Ciaravino

Our dear Virginia passed away peacefully on November 14 at the age of 91. She was born March 16th, 1933, in Kansas City, Missouri to Simone Perri, an immigrant from Calabria, Italy, and Teresa Salerno from Trinidad, Colorado. When Virginia was 5 years old, her mother died giving birth to her 13th child and was sent to be raised at St. Anthony's Children's Home, then later to St. Joseph's Home for Girls. After her father relocated to Tucson for treatment of asthma, he married again to Maria Jesus Salgado, and Virginia was reunited with her brothers and sisters in Tucson in 1945.

 While growing up in Menlo Park, she attended Immaculate Heart Academy and then studied at Lamson Business College. Virginia then moved to California where she married Paul Ciaravino and had her two children, Paul Jr. And Teresa. She worked as a waitress, sold Avon, and worked various jobs to support her children, and eventually moved back to Tucson where she worked alongside her brother, Simon, at Perri Jewelers.

 Virginia spent her life caring for others. A woman of strong faith, Virginia was a member of St. Ambrose parish, where she was surrounded by a group of wonderful friends who shared Sunday mass and lunches together. Virginia’s family was the most important thing in the world to her. If you were in the family, no birthday was ever forgotten and always included a card with a little something! Selflessly, she cared for her elderly siblings, traveling across the country, from Kansas City to California, to care for her brothers and sisters as they aged.

 She is preceded in death by her husband Paul Ciaravino, son Paul Jr., and siblings, Mary, Peter, Frank, Simon, Mary Mona Lisa, John, and Dorothy. She is survived by her brothers Matt, Jim, and Albert, and her sister Frances, her daughter Teresa Richard (Michael), her grandchildren Steven and David Richard, Danielle Smith (Paul), Heather Rojas (Hugo), and great-grandchildren Hugito, Natalia, Micah, Isiah, and Silas.

Viewing will be Monday November 25th from 5-9 pm at Martinez Funeral Home, with the rosary at 6:30 pm. The funeral Mass will take place Tuesday, November 26th at 10:00 am at St. Ambrose Parish followed by interment at Holy Hope Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Virginia requests that everyone be kind to one another. Virginia will be missed by anyone who ever met her and is smiling down from Heaven on all of us.