Lucinne Virginia Goekjian

Lucinne was born on April 20, 1977, in Athens. Her sweetness was evident from infancy, and her mother, Ginger, called her “Little Angel.” Ginger fondly remembers holding Lucinne for the first time and thinking “this is what love is.” From that day, everywhere Ginger went, Lucinne went. Lucinne also was made the subject of cute feature photographs by her father, Karekin, who, at the time, was a photographer for the Athens Banner Herald and Athens Daily News. She did well and enjoyed dance and gymnastics as a child. Even from an early age, she had a keen sense of style and design. When she was 9, she gained a lifelong friend in her brother, Zack. They experienced so many things together and stayed close, despite their age difference. They accumulated an overwhelming amount of inside jokes to laugh about for years. Even in her final days, Zack was always able to make Lucinne smile and laugh.

She graduated from Clarke Central High School in 1995 and moved to Naples, Italy in 1997 where she lived for twenty years. In Italy, Lucinne taught school, learned fluent Italian and found her strengths living through often challenging situations in a large, Italian city teeming with life and culture. It was there that her strong will and sense of independence grew. The best times of her life started when she gave birth to her son, Luca, who was loved and adored from the time he arrived May 17, 2005. Luca and Lucinne were constant companions, inseparable from the very start. There was nothing Lucinne wouldn’t do for Luca, which lead Lucinne to make the decision to move back to Athens in 2017 to be near family and build their new life.

Lucinne, sweet and tender hearted, touched the lives of many. She was known for her loyalty to friends and willingness to do anything to be there for someone in need. She had a soft spot for all living creatures but especially cats. She picked up stranded cats and took them to be spayed/neutered and treated for any problems. Over the years, she cared for many strays she rescued from where she lived. As a leasing agent, she befriended tenants who had no family, taking one to her cancer treatments and loving her until she passed away. Lucinne was always thoughtful and kind. After finding out about her diagnosis in May, her first request was for the care of Luca, the true love of her life.

Lucinne is survived by her son, Luca Peluso; parents, Karekin and Ginger Goekjian; brother and sister-in-love, Zack and Kelly Goekjian; nephew, Will Goekjian; her former husband, Ciro Peluso; and her partner, Ronald Bertrand.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, August 1, at 2:00 p.m., in the Bernstein Funeral Home Chapel, with Reverend Carol Hassell officiating.

The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at St. Mary’s Hospital, the University Cancer and Blood Center, and Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital, especially the nurses at the Intensive Care Unit at Piedmont who showed exceptional love and care for Lucinne and our family in the final days and hours of Lucinne’s life. We would also like to thank the many friends and family members whose support carried us all through these last three months.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made directly to the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research, 1100 Peninsula Blvd., Hewlett, NY 11557. https://virtualtrials.org/Donate.cfm

Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.