Memorial Service at The Prospector on Saturday for Evelyn Teal Ciota
Evelyn Teal Ciota, known affectionately by all as Grandma Ciota or “GC,” passed away peacefully and surrounded by her family on March 7, 2019. Born in rural Alabama in 1923, GC was one of nine children born to Alma Tharp Teal and James Edward Teal. She was raised on an 81 acre farm, where she spent her childhood growing fruits and vegetables, exploring the woods and creating adventures for herself and her siblings. GC was a graduate of Poplar Springs High School, after which she worked for Bibb Manufacturing Company, an important piece of Georgia’s cotton and textile industry. As her family settled in the Panhandle, GC was married and moved to the Bronx in 1944, where she raised two sons, Louis A. Ciota, Jr. and Donald C. Ciota.
As a single mother supporting two sons, GC entered the workforce, first working for Home Life Insurance Company in Manhattan, and then at a jewelry manufacturing company on West 46th Street in Manhattan’s diamond district. GC proudly entered the Civil Service in 1962 as a buyer for the City of New York’s Department of Governmental Services, where with hard work and determination she moved up the ranks to become a senior Professional Public Buyer. GC served the city of New York for 26 years, where she was also an active member and past-president of MENTY, the New York Chapter of the National Institute of Government Purchasing, of which she was named Buyer of the Year in 1985. She retired in 1988 and moved to Bronxville, New York.
An avid seamstress, GC would give you the shirt off of her back as she mended yours perfectly. Her southern charm and wit earned friends wherever she went, and she always had a kind word (and a joke-filled speech) for every occasion. She loved to dance, hunt for bargains at tag sales, play the penny slots at Empire City Casino and most of all, she adored her family. GC was predeceased by her son, Louis A. Ciota Jr., and is survived by her son, Donald C. Ciota, her grandchildren, Megan A. Ciota, Amy P. Ciota, Valerie K. (and Greg) Jensen, Rebecca L. Ciota and Hope A. Ciota, as well as her three great-grandchildren, Oz C. Jensen, Rex N. Jensen and Tigerlily H. Jensen.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 16th at 9:30 am at The Prospector Theater, 25 Prospect Street, Ridgefield, Connecticut. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor may be made to The Prospector Theater, which she loved.