Cosima Maria Negro Larreur

Cosima Maria Negro Larreur Maria passed away on December 3, 2011 at her home in Cornelius, NC. In her final hours she was surrounded by her husband, children, grandchildren and family friends. She was born on December 5, 1935 in Veglie (Lecce) Italy to Settimio and Wanda Negro. Maria received her degree in Education from the University of Bari (Italy) and on August 23, 1959, married Claude Larreur, a recent graduate of the Italian Naval Academy. Maria lived in Haiti for several years and in1965 moved with her family to the United States and settled in the Washington D.C. area. In 1970, Maria joined the staff of the Embassy of Italy in Washington D.C. Her career began as the Ambassador's personal secretary. She moved quickly up the ranks to the position of Educational Officer. Maria stayed in this position until her retirement in 2000 after 30 years of service. During retirement, she devoted her time and energy to her family; particularly her grandchildren, and traveled often to Italy and Spain to visit family and friends. She was loved and admired because of her free spirited, caring and affectionate nature. She was known by all as "Nonna" and was passionate about travel, architecture, history and décor. She was an excellent cook and entertainer. Maria will be terribly missed by her husband of 52 years, Claude, her children: Roger, his wife Kelly, Sandra, her husband Tim, Rudy and his wife Amy. Her devoted 10 grandchildren, Sean, Max, Marco, Haley, Madeleine, Olivia, Dominic, Brendan, Matthew and Adrian; her brother Giuseppe Negro and his wife Janna. her sister, Natalia Nabavian and husband Mory. We would also like to acknowledge the many members of our family and friends whose love and support have always accompanied her. A tribute to celebrate her life will be conducted at 1:30 PM Friday, December 9, 2011 in the Chapel of Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home, Huntersville, NC. The family will receive friends prior to the service at the funeral home beginning at 11:00AM. Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home and Cremation Service is assisting the family. Friends may offer condolences to the family at www.raymerfh.com.