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Roberta Antoinetta Ciano Economou,73, devoted wife and loving mother of Mooresville, passed away on Friday, January 29, 2016, at Carolinas Continue Care Hospital at Pineville. Born January 5, 1943, in Queens, NY, she was the daughter of the late Robert Joseph and Josephine Francis Aragona Ciano. Roberta had a wonderful and fulfilling life with her husband Tommy of 56 years and her two children. She traveled extensively around the world with her husband and children and enjoyed experiencing all that life had to offer. She and her husband started out like most young couples with meager beginnings and eventually took a risk and leap of faith opening Eco’s Food Company out of their garage in Levittown NY, back in the early 70’s. It grew to become one of the most successful Mom and Pop wholesale grocery businesses in New York. Later in life she fulfilled her desire of designing and building her dream home and opening up a plus size boutique for women. Any one who knew Roberta knew her as a very loving, caring and giving person. She would give you the shirt off her back, always opening her heart and home to anyone who needed it. Throughout the 56 years she and her husband had been the host to many of relatives and friends that lived with them in their time of need. She always gave, not just financially but of herself to family, friends and the community. One of her favorite holidays was Christmas where she would start decorating the day after thanksgiving and left no space untouched, people would come to just admire her beautifully decorated home and the Christmas spirit in would evoke. Although there were several charities she gave to, one of her most cherished annual traditions with her family was to adopt an orphanage and make Christmas as special for them as she did her own family. She and her daughter would spend weeks shopping and wrapping gifts for the children and they would deliver not only gifts for each child, but for the home itself and provide them with a holiday feast. But her giving spirit did not stop there, although she only had two children, many throughout the years that called her MOM. She would just embrace everyone to feel welcome and like family and never just a guest. Roberta was a lover of animals and even though she never had any human grandchildren she had furry granddogs and cats, which she just adored.. Everyone will truly miss the festive parties she would throw. Roberta loved her gatherings, dinners, barbeques and entertaining, she lived for having family and friends around her. Making sure there was always enough food for an army and that no detail was ever missed. She loved her collectables and had a house filled with them, but her two most treasured collections were her Icons and Angels. Her Angels were very dear to her and as the years went on her collection grew and grew, as all that knew her added to it. She now has hundreds of Angels throughout her home that she would say "watched over and protected her family and home". Roberta cherished her traditions, heritage, family and friends. She will be very much missed but will continue to live in our hearts forever as she touched all that she knew here on earth with her joyous spirit. She collected Angels here on earth and now she has her Angel wings and is watching over all of us "protecting her family and friends". She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Thomas George Economou, Sr.; children, Antoinetta Economou and Thomas George Economou, Jr.; brother, Robert Ciano and sister-in-law Debbie; one sister and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends and family on Thursday February 4, 2016 from 5:00-7:00 P.M. at Cavin-Cook Funeral Home, Mooresville. A Funeral Service will be held on Friday February 5, 2016 at 12:00 P.M. in the Chapel of Cavin-Cook Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Roberta’s name to the American Diabetes Association, 1300 Baxter Street Suite 150, Charlotte, NC, 28204 or American Macular Degeneration Foundation P.O Box 515 Northampton, MA 01061. Condolences may be made to the Economou family at www.cavin-cook.com.

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Roberta Antoinetta Economou

January 5, 1943 - January 29, 2016