Virginia Ciantra

Virginia (Frentzos) Ciantra, 100, died at home on October 9, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. Born in Springfield, she was the fifth of six children of the late Nicholas and Pelagia (Fousianes) Frentzos, originally of Stemnitsa, Greece. Virginia and two of her sisters were centenarians, as was her mother.
Virginia attended High School of Commerce where her penmanship won awards. She later worked for many years in the payroll department of U.S. Envelope Company in Springfield, where she prepared payroll checks using the up-to-date manual typewriters of the day. In 1959, she married Cesare A. "Charlie" Ciantra and moved into a home in Sixteen Acres where they lived for many years. Virginia and Cesare enjoyed sixty-one years together until Charlie's death in 2020.
Her Orthodox faith and family were the centers of Virginia's long life. A granddaughter of the parish priest of Stemnitsa, Virginia was an active congregant of St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Springfield, regularly attending services until her final year. She enjoyed working the cathedral's Glendi festival sharing her love of Greek culture and cuisine with the greater community. She and Charlie were long-term members of St. George Cathedral's Over 60 Club where they made and renewed many friendships.
For their generation, Virginia had children "late" in life. She was the oldest first-time mother in Wesson hospital when her first child was born and relished the role of mother, and later, grandmother. She enjoyed the blessings of a large family, four sisters and a brother, and was close to her five first cousins all of whom lived in Springfield. Despite distances, Virginia maintained relationships with her nine nieces and nephews but was especially close to her niece Eugenia. In earlier years, Virginia spent many happy holiday seasons at her sister Christine's home in Detroit, where Virginia would travel by train before the War with her mother and sisters Julia and Demetria.
Virginia was active in the women's society at St. George Cathedral and served a term as president of the PTA at Glickman Elementary School. She also supported efforts to reform conditions at the Belchertown State School where her brother George, who was developmentally disabled, lived for many years.
Virginia enjoyed a long and blessed life.
She will be dearly missed by her sons Thomas Ciantra and wife Stacy of Alexandria, VA, and Nicholas Ciantra and wife Susan of Mendon, MA, and her 3 cherished grandchildren, Emily, Charles, and Zoe.
Along with her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her sisters Christine Christopher, Potoula Theophelis, Demetria Guerra, Julia Patru and brother George Frentzos.
The family wishes to acknowledge and give thanks to Jackie, Margaret, Eliza, Juliany and Itzamar who provided loving care to Virginia in her final years and to Faith at Baystate Hospice and all of the staff at her home at the Wellington.
Family and friends are invited to Virginia's visiting hour, Monday, October 20th, from 10-11 a.m., at St. George Cathedral. Virginia's funeral service will begin at 11. Her burial will follow at Hillcrest Park Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. George Cathedral's Building Fund, 22 St. George Rd., Springfield, MA 01104.
For condolences, please visit TazziniFuneralHome.com. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Virginia, please visit our floral store.