Newington Memorial Funeral Home
http://www.newingtonmemorial.com
John A. Russo, Jr., 91, of Old Lyme, formerly of Newington, passed away on Saturday, February 8, 2025. He was the beloved husband of the late Barbara (Janssen) Russo. Born and raised in Bronx, New York, son of the late John A. Russo, Sr. and Alva (Hodges) Russo. John met Barbara in Tucson, AZ and then they moved to CT where they raised their family in Newington. John honorably served the country in the U.S. Army.
John received a BS degree in Meteorology from City College NY and a Masters in Meteorology from University of AZ and an MBA degree in Business from UConn. He began his working career as a Meteorologist, statistician and researcher for The Travelers Research Center Inc. forecasting for WTIC radio and television. He then worked for the Hartford Insurance Company until he retired. During that time, he opened and owned a restaurant in Downtown Harford (Town Squire Shoppe). He went on to get his broker/dealer license and opened a business "Just Restaurants" selling restaurants until his final retirement. He was an avid UConn Huskies and Connecticut Sun basketball fan. He was a member of Newington UNICO, and Christ the King Church in Old Lyme. He enjoyed traveling, weekend card games, horse races, the beach, dining out and most of all spending time with his family and friends. He was a big jokester and kept everyone happy and entertained.
A loving father, grandfather and great grandfather, John leaves his children John A. Russo III, Vincent Russo, Melanie Scelza and her husband Frank, Stefanie Russo, Scott Russo, Michele Nanci, and his grandchildren Stephen Grondin, Amanda and Stefanie Russo, Nicole & Justin LaVette, Samantha and Jonathan Russo, Frankie & Elleni Scelza and Micaela Scelza, Kar Landers, Marina and Gianna Nanci, and his great-grandchildren Trevor, Amelia, Natalia, Carter and Cassidy. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his son Todd Russo and his brother Joel Russo and wife Becky. He also leaves several cousins, nieces and nephews. Relatives and friends are invited to call on Tuesday, February 18th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Duksa Family Funeral Homes at Newington Memorial, 20 Bonair Ave., Newington, followed by a service with military honors at 11:00 a.m. He and Barbara will be laid to rest privately in the CT State Veteran Cemetery in Middletown. To share a memory with his family, please visit us at www.duksa.net.
LINKS
The Day - New London
http://theday.com
Memories
Gallery
Guestbook