Paula Elena Ionescu

Paula Elena Ionescu was born on January 28th, 1956 in Bucharest, Romania, daughter of Constantin Ionescu and Elena Ionescu (née Inaltu). She passed away at the age of 69, on July 23rd, 2025 at the IU Health Hospice House in Bloomington, Indiana, from end stage renal failure.

Throughout her childhood she was noted for her creativity and high academic achievements. She was a lover of nature and a keen tennis player, swimmer, skier and mountaineer. Additionally, she enjoyed painting and reading in her spare time.

Paula attended dental school in Bucharest, Romania and graduated at the top of her class, with a Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree, before moving to the United States in 1982. In 1984, she briefly joined the U.S. Army, which she eventually left due to the onset of a series of health issues.

She married her first husband, Vincent Malcolm in 1990, but was unfortunately widowed in 1995, following a car crash.

Subsequently, she decided to pursue a different career path. She graduated from the University of North Florida in 1999 and received her master’s degree in Linguistics and Spanish Literature from Nova Southeastern University in 2003. She then proceeded to work as a substitute teacher. She spoke six languages, fluently.

She married her second husband, John Perretta in 2001, after meeting as fellow students at the University of North Florida. Although their union ended in divorce, they remained close throughout her lifetime and John continued to be a source of friendship and support until her passing.

Paula moved to Bloomington, Indiana in 2005. She became a member of St. Thomas Lutheran Church, whose members and leadership played a key role in supporting her in her battle with terminal disease and her mental health struggles.

As she aged, she became more and more passionate about art and dedicated long stretches of time to expressing herself through painting.

She is survived by her twin brother Toma, her nieces Sandra and Miruna and her former husband John.

A a celebration of life memorial service for Paula will be held Saturday, August 9, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, 3800 E. Third St., Bloomington, Indiana 47401. Visitation and refreshments will begin at 9:00 a.m. The service is live streamed at rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2