She was preceded in death by her parents, James and Ellen Heatley; and her sisters, Rose Bristow and Amelia Foster.
She is survived by her husband, Giuseppe Venturi; her sisters, Gina and Emily Heatley; her son, Gianni Venturi and his wife, Dana; her son, Gabe Venturi and his fiancé, Anastasia Cope. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Damian, Gaelan, Arianna, Liam, Rowan and Austin and her great grandchildren, Braxton and Haven.
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on November 3, 1941, Elena would go on to meet her husband of 58 years, Giuseppe. Together they moved to Bologna, Italy, where she learned Italian and had her two sons, Gianni and Gabe. In 1978, the family relocated to Richmond, Virginia to support the expansion of her husband’s company. Elena became a dual US and UK citizen.
Ellen was a devoted homemaker who cherished visiting and socializing with friends. She had a deep love for traveling back to Northern Ireland to visit her sisters and family, maintaining strong ties with her roots.
The family will receive friends on Tuesday, November 18 from 1-2pm at Woody Funeral Home – Huguenot Chapel. A memorial service will be held at 2pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Bon Secours Community Hospice House, secure.givebsmh.org.
The family would like to thank Josey Houchens and Rashaan Randolph for their dedicated and compassionate care of Elena.
