Obituaries

Apollonia “Bella” (Aiuto) Russo of Quincy passed away with her son John by her side at Quincy Medical Center on Thursday, December 2, 2010 at age 94. Born in Sicily, Italy, she met her husband, the late Ignazio Russo, in 1950 when he traveled back to Italy as a widower with his brother and a wedding gown in search of a young bride. Their 2-week engagement and winter wedding made headlines in the hometown papers. Ignazio, a WWI veteran was a cobbler whose shop on Washington St. in Quincy was in business for over 50 years. After his death at age 78 in 1972, Bella and their only son John remained in the Quincy home that he built. A talented seamstress, Bella had an eye for stitch and needlework which she learned as an apprentice in Sicily. She was chosen to be a seamstress at a stylish and prominent new store which opened in Quincy on the Parkingway in 1959. Anne Starr was an exclusive women’s high end clothing store which catered to the elite and women of high style. Among the many clients she who availed themselves of Bella’s talents were Ruth Gordon, Lee Remick, Jackie Kennedy and other members of the Kennedy family, as well as Quincy’s well-known Grossman family. In 1967 she moved to the Franklin Simon at the South Shore Plaza, then at Ross of Quincy, owned by Anne Starr’s manager, Sol Ross and then worked at Remick’s. After retiring, she continued sewing for private clients who desired her expert tailoring.

A well-known fixture in Quincy Center, Bella frequently walked downtown, shopping at her favorite stores, saddened as they closed one by one. She lived a long and healthy life, walking daily even in to her nineties. The City of Quincy acknowledged her yearly milestone birthdays and her home was adorned with framed proclamations and certificates from Governors, Senators Kennedy and Kerry and Presidents Clinton and George and George W. Bush.

Bella’s brother Philip Aiuto passed away in 2009, leaving her son John Russo the last surviving member of her family. Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, December 5 from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00pm. Friends are kindly invited. On Monday there will be a gathering at the funeral home 9:00am followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00am at Saint John the Baptist Church 44 School St. Quincy. Burial is at Mt. Wollaston Cemetery.