Raluca Iosif, who lived with good cheer, hard work and deep commitment to her friends, family and colleagues, was killed suddenly and tragically at her home in Durham, NC on October 6, 2015.
“Raluca has been a cherished IntraHealth colleague and friend to many of us over the past seven years,” says Pape Gaye, president and CEO of IntraHealth, where Raluca worked as Senior Program Development Manager. “She was full of life and her generosity of spirit was contagious.”
Her sharp wit, bright intellect and devotion to making health care available to more people around the world are an inspiration to all who knew her. With an exuberant spirit, and her Airedale rescue, Mr. Bingley, at her side, Raluca was always ready with a helping hand, a funny story and a definite opinion on almost everything.
Born in Bucharest, Romania in 1975 and educated as a lawyer, Raluca worked there for RTI International as Policy Reform Specialist on the Local Governance Project. She completed her Masters Degree in Communication at Queens University in Charlotte, NC, where she also worked at the International House as a Communications Specialist for several years. Raluca joined IntraHealth International in Chapel Hill in 2008. Her facility with languages – fluent in five – gave her the opportunity to travel throughout Africa and Latin America seeking new opportunities to improve health care.
Her legion of friends is scattered throughout the world. Members of her Romanian family are coming to Durham for her memorial service, including her brother, Razvan Iosif, her sister-in-law Maria Iosif and her nephew Andrei Iosif; her aunt, Gabriela Calinescu; and her cousin, Dragos Calinescu. Her cousin, Adrian Jadic and his spouse, Ruxandra Oana Jadic, are traveling from Pennsylvania.
For those who want to remember Raluca, in lieu of flowers, IntraHealth has established the Raluca Iosif Memorial Fund to honor her legacy, and to ensure that her deep commitment to global health, and to ending injustice, inequity, and violence against women, lives on. Gifts to the fund can be made online at www.intrahealth.org/RalucaIosifMemorialFund or via check to IntraHealth, 6340 Quadrangle Drive, Suite 200, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, attn: Raluca Iosif MF.
Another way to remember Raluca is to make a memorial donation in honor of Mr. Bingley, her Airedale rescue, who has had a much better life because of the Airedale Rescue Group. Gifts may be made online at www.airedalerescuegroup.com or via check to Airedale Rescue Group, 10581 Harrisburg Rd., Fort Mill, SC 29707.
Raluca will be honored in a special celebration of life with friends, family, colleagues and neighbors on Friday, October 23rd, from 4-6pm, at Hall-Wynne Funeral Service, 1113 West Main Street, Durham. She will be dearly missed.
Deborah Gilbert
I worked with raluca on The Taste of the World committee in Charlotte for two years. We sampled a lot of food and often her response was fine, it’s fine. It was a very curt fine which to me meant just so so. I never use the word fine without thinking of her and smiling. She was so funny and positive, it’s hard to believe any one would want the world to have one less Raluca. I am so sorry for the loss to all those who knew and loved her.
Ioan Leu
Condoleante intregii familii pentru pierderea Ralucai pe care ne-o reamintim cu drag. Dumnezeu s-o odihneasca, sa-i fie tarina usoara !Sintem astazi prin gind alaturi de voi ! fam.Leu ioan,Gabi,Suzana,Costin & Lili Covaci.
Adrian Cristescu
Hallucinating news… from a remote place like Romaina, having family and friends all over this Earth, not being in close relation with everyone or postponing saying a simple Hello, because of daily grey, but not loving them less, it is very hard to believe that it really happened…
I will keep thinking that Raluca is still there not saying hello to each other from a while.
Adrian Cristescu Bucharest