Saratoga Springs, NY - On Friday, June 12th, Giovanna Etkin died at home in the presence of her loving family. In the Dolomite mountains of Italy, Giovanna was born in the town of Sondrio, on December 21st, 1944 to her parents, the late Salvatore and Maria Centonze where she joined her older brothers Carlo and Corrado. After WWII ended, her family moved back to Modena, from where they had fled during the war. She grew up in Modena and attended University of Bologna where she earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in English. Her love of learning and reading continued throughout her entire life- she often described herself as the perpetual student (later in life, she even went back to school to earn a third degree- a B.A. in Psychology- from Union College in 1992); she was known for self-study of an eclectic range of topics from the history of salt to the Arabic language. In Bologna, she met her husband Richard H. Etkin, an American studying medicine at the University. They met in 1967, married in Modena in 1970 and moved to the U.S. in 1972. After living in Albany briefly, they settled in Niskayuna, N.Y. and started a medical practice together in Schenectady, N.Y. where Giovanna served as the Business Manager for over 20 years. In 1974, Giovanna and Richard welcomed a daughter, Sarah. Giovanna devoted the rest of her life to being a mother to her only child; the kind of mother who surpassed all that a daughter could hope for. Her true passion was travel to the far reaches of the globe. She was always planning the next trip and was well versed in researching and executing the ultimate adventure from hiking in Nepal to scuba diving in Fiji- she was most content while "on the road". After her retirement in 1995, a dream of "living in paradise" came true with a move to the tiny island of Anguilla in the British West Indies, in 2002. For the last 13 years of her life, for 6 months of the year, she soaked up the sun, took up painting, spent time with the other "ex-pats", and marveled at the view of the turquoise waters outside her bedroom window. The greatest treasure of her life was the gift of her only grandchild, Maximilian Etkin Sefcik, who was born in 2005 (and who prompted a move to Saratoga Springs in 2007, just a few miles away from Max). From the very first day she was always present in Max's life- she put him at the center of her universe. They played hard, snuggled often, and travelled far during the 10 years they had together. Giovanna is survived by her husband of 44 years, Dr. Richard H. Etkin, her daughter Sarah Etkin-Sefcik and son-in-law, Jonathan A. Sefcik, all of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; her brother Corrado (Eugenia) Centonze of Modena, Italy; 2 nieces Federica and Ciara; a nephew Marcello; and many cousins in Italy. In addition to her parents, Giovanna is predeceased by her brother Carlo and his wife Anna Centonze. Giovanna will be remembered by her family as a kind, generous, intelligent, strong-willed woman who put her family first and enjoyed life & love. Giovanna's family would like to extend our deepest appreciation to Kelly Foley, Laurie McDermott, Karen Buczkowski and Mary Cook of Community Hospice of Saratoga who descended during the final days of Giovanna's life to provide compassionate, loving care. Donations in Giovanna's memory may be made to the Molly S. Wilmot Radiation Oncology Center at Saratoga Hospital, 211 Church St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 where Giovanna volunteered. Giovanna's family is fulfilling her wishes to not hold calling hours or a funeral service at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funerals of 628 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs (584-5373). Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.