Aunt Rose

On Wednesday January 19th, Jude's great aunt Rose Russo went on to be with the Lord. She was such a neat lady of 89 years, and will be sadly missed. Jill sent me this article, and I thought it was pretty special and wanted to share it on here. You see, I didn't get to meet Jude's Nona (grandmother), but Aunt Rose was her sister, and she did all that she could to fill the shoes of Nona. She was the most caring and loving Italian woman you will ever meet. Never did we go to her house that she didn't offer us a multitude of food, show great hospitality and ooh and ahh over our daughters. We didn't visit her as often as we should have, but we will cherish the times we did. For many years, we spent Christmas day evening at her house and with her immediate family. We would all sit around her HUGE kitchen table and visit. Jude enjoyed her stuffed artichokes and ariginot (probably miss spelled, but it is Italian HOT bread). He really looked forward to those times. The girls and I enjoyed the cookies and many other great things she offered...too many to name. We sure will miss those times with Aunt Rose.

This article was published in the Pittsburgh Press Sunday Roto in 1974 (21 years after she opened their hardware store)

In case you aren't able to enlarge it to read it, the title says it all. "She knows the Thingamabobs from the Watchamacallits". You see, they opened a hardware store in 1953 (that is still open and being run by their son) in Clairton. She ran the store, and when she started knew nothing about hardware. But that didn't stop her, she persisted and learned everything. She could tell you what you needed and where it was. She knew everything in her store. You see, not only was she a great businesswoman, she was a great mother to her 4 children, she loved her Lord and she cherished her family. She was a true hard working woman. Her legacy is now carried on by those children, her 9 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren, 2 great great grandchildren, and the many nieces and nephews that she "took under her wing". It was sad to say good bye to her today, but as her daughter kept saying to her in her last weeks...we love you more! And please tell Nona all about her beautiful great granddaughters she never met, Mary and Sarah.