Elena Alba Vestri

Vestri, Elena Alba Elena Alba Vestri passed away on July 6, 2023, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, after bravely battling serious medical issues for almost five years. To say she was an extraordinary light on this earth would be an understatement. Elena was a citizen of the entire world, choosing to live, teach, and love in countries all over the globe. Her heart was open and she listened to the voices and struggles of every culture, becoming ambassador and advocate in her own quiet and humble way. Family, friends, and thousands of students loved her and are so much richer because she touched our lives.

Elena was born May 26, 1965 in Florence, Italy to Pier Luigi Vestri (of Florence and Milan) and Romana Marchesini (of Bologna). Her family immigrated to the United States when she was 7, following her uncle Francesco Marchesini who had moved to Chicago after marrying her aunt Valerie. Her maternal grandmother Lucy also immigrated at the same time. She spoke no English at that time, and the challenges of being a second grader sitting with many Vietnamese children who did not understand English either would greatly influence Elena in her future teaching style.

Job opportunities for her uncle and father with Eastern Airlines led the family to relocate to the place that would become her American home - Tampa, Florida. Growing up in the Town and Country area, she enjoyed drawing, writing fiction, watching (and crushing on) the Tampa Bay Rowdies, playing the piano, spending time with buddies on Lake Magdalene at Uncle Frank's, and listening to her lifelong favorite band, Queen.

Elena attended the University of South Florida and earned a degree in French in 1987 and later a Master of Arts degree in Applied Linguistics. She was an avid language learner, and over her lifetime, she became fluent in Italian, English, Spanish, and French and could communicate in Hungarian and Romanian.

Elena spent her professional life fulfilling teaching contracts all over the world. She taught in the US, Spain, France, Uzbekistan, Hungary, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. She marveled at the discovery of other cultures and enjoyed the international teaching staff in each place. Elena reflected on how meaningful it was to her to empower her female students by giving them voice and freedom in class to think. She enjoyed giving them confidence in themselves. Elena was basically an introvert at heart, but in her own classroom, she was in her element, confident and doing what she truly loved. Other things she loved: conversation with sharp people, sarcastic and irreverent humor, good food and wine, espresso, sushi, a good dance groove, Viareggio Italy, her African Grey parrot, and various cats.

In 1998, she coauthored her first book and then went on to coauthor more than 20 textbooks over the next two decades. Her coauthors can attest to her sharp mind for planning instructional materials, especially composition books, an area where she excelled. These texts continue to be used in the United States and other countries and are yet another enduring light she continues to shine.

In Abu Dhabi, Elena fell in love with one of her colleagues - Taoufik Ferjani. In him, she found the love and adoration she had always dreamed of finding. Elena loved Taoufik's three sons, Aladdin, Farouq, and Ahmed, and became dear friends with their mother Hajer. Elena was a transformational influence for the eldest son, Aladdin, as he was influenced by her brilliant mind and spirit during his adolescence.

In January of 2019, Elena's world changed forever when she had a nearly fatal stroke in the UAE. She was left with partial paralysis on one side of her body, a very poor medical prognosis, and aphasia. Though Elena could understand all that was said to her, this master of language could not speak the words she could think. Her husband saw to her care, and his family in Tunisia accepted her into their home where they were a family. She could communicate by finding remarkably clever ways to get you to guess the words she searched for. She was witty, strong willed, and found things to laugh and smile about. When you marveled at how positive she was despite the hand she'd been dealt, she would tell you that she considered the stroke a gift (her word) because she now had a family and perhaps it had actually saved her life in a way. Later, as Elena's health declined, she moved back to the UAE to be with Taoufik. In the past year, she endured a leg amputation and many hospital stays. To the end, she professed her love and gratitude for her husband and her family and looked back in peace with her life. She was tired and she was unafraid to leave this earth.

An international online memorial to honor her will be held in the future. Please email elenamemorial16@gmail.com if you would like to be notified when it is scheduled. Elena was empathetic to all of the underdogs in this world, to all causes that lifted up the oppressed and gave opportunity to the less fortunate. She would love to be remembered with a donation to your favorite charity in her name.