CURRENT CELEBRATIONS

Josephine S. Russo

Josephine S. Russo, age 95, of Delran, NJ, passed away peacefully on July 21, 2023. She was born February 28, 1928, in Burlington, NJ, to Joseph and Nellie Szulc (née Surowiec). Josephine met Albert Russo at a neighborhood dance in 1946 and they were married in April 1948. They were known as Al and Jo, or Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop to the grandchildren they adored. The two were inseparable until Al’s death in 2007.

Josephine started her career at United Aero, which manufactured parts for military airplanes during WWII. She also worked at US Pipe. Before retiring in 1988, she served 26 years at Public Service Electric and Gas where she was the Chief Telephone Operator and supervisor for the Burlington Exchange.

She lovingly raised her family in the brick house on Pancoast Boulevard that her husband and father-in-law built. She lived there for 75 years until her death. In 1970, Al and Jo took a big swing and purchased a house down the shore in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island. They spent every weekend there for years, meticulously cleaning the house for rentals, and relaxing on the wraparound porch in the ocean breeze.

Josephine loved to spend her time crocheting while rooting for “her” Eagles and Phillies, rarely missing a game. She was a generous, and prolific, maker of afghans. She crocheted hundreds of blankets over the years, giving them freely to family, friends, doctors, acquaintances, and even to a cat and a dog. Yet she never kept one for herself. If you complimented anything she owned, invariably her response was, “You like it? Take it! I don’t need it.”

Josephine is survived by her daughter, Eileen Schneider (husband, John) of Palmyra, NJ; her son Albert A. Russo, Jr. (wife, Kay née Fealty, deceased) of Evans, GA; and her son Glenn M. Russo (wife, Eileen née Thomas) of Mullica Hill, NJ. She is also survived by her beloved grandchildren, Glenn M. Russo, Jr. and his wife Kavya, Bridget E. Russo, Brice A. Russo, and Maeve H. Russo. She is survived by her step-grandchildren Shelly DeButts and Stefanie Crain, and her step-great-grandchildren Trevor Crain and Oliva DeButts. She is survived by her brother Alexander Schulz (wife, Grace, deceased). She was preceded in death by her husband Albert A. Russo and her sister Jean Matarese.

Please join us in honoring Josephine’s life. There will be a viewing at Sweeney’s Funeral Home 337 Bridgeboro St, Riverside, NJ, on Monday, July 31, 6-8 pm. and on Tuesday, August 1, 9-10 am. A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Casimir’s Church, 502 New Jersey Ave, Riverside, NJ on Tuesday, August 1 at 10:30 am. She will be laid to rest at St. Peters Cemetery on Bridgeboro Street in Riverside, New Jersey.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Josephine Russo to either of her two favorite causes: St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at raise.stjude.org/Josephine or call 800-822-6344 (id #4815553) or Disabled Veterans of America at support.dav.org/campaign/Josephine or call 859-442-1340 (id #14254).