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| Andy Russo (1942-2017) |
The period between 2000 and 2004 was a dark time for Andrew Russo and his mother, Palma (Imprescia) Russo. The losses they endured seemed relentless. It began with the passing of Palma's husband, Theodore Russo, on August 18, 2000, after 62 years of marriage. Less than two years later, on May 5, 2002, Andrew's wife of 31 years, Kristine Wilson, succumbed to cancer. This loss left Andrew and their only son, Anthony "Tony" Russo, grappling with profound grief. Sadly, Tony struggled to cope and we lost him at the age of 27 in June 2004.
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| Andy and Kristine |
As if the pain wasn't already unbearable, Andrew's brother Phillip passed away six months later on December 15, 2004, at the age of 55. The family gathered at my house in Fitchburg for Phillip's memorial service, but Andrew was too distraught to attend. He unexpectedly left town, seeking solitude at his brother Jeff's house in Florida while Jeff was in Fitchburg for the funeral.
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| Phillip Russo in 1967 |
Amidst this grief I remembered story about a long-lost son of Andrew Russo. At 19, Andrew got married to his girlfriend Cecile and in 1961, their son Andrew Jr. was born. The marriage was brief, and after the divorce, Andrew's ex-wife Cecile moved out of state, cutting off contact with the Russo family. Andrew gave up his parental rights, and Andrew Jr. was adopted by Cecile's new husband. Over the years, Palma and Teddy tried to locate their grandson but were met with silence from Cecile's family in Fitchburg.
Determined to fulfill Palma's wish to find her grandson, I turned to the internet a few days before Phillip's memorial service. My search led me to a genealogy message board where someone named Terry Lane had posted in 2002, seeking information about the Russos from Fitchburg. I reached out to Terry, hoping this could be the key to reuniting the family.
The Emails
Here are the exact communications that followed:
From Kevin Caravella:
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Sunday, December 26, 2004 8:44 AM
Name: Kevin Caravella
Email: kevincaravella@hotmail.com
Submit: Submit
Comment:
I have tracked you down based on some posting on genealogy forum. You were looking for information on Russo's of Fitchburg back in 10/2002. I have information and would also like information (if possible). I am assuming you were looking on behalf of Andrew (Jantz?) son of Andrew Russo. Would he like to contact his family? His 91-year-old grandmother would LOVE to contact him. She has tried in the past but the family has not been helpful. Please contact me. Thanks. Kevin
Response from T. A. Lane:
From: T. A. Lane
Sent: Sunday, December 26, 2004 1:27 PM
To: kevincaravella@hotmail.com
Subject: FW: Data posted to form 1 of http://terrylane.com/contact.htm
Hi Kevin,
Andrew Jantz is my friend, I have all of his contact information. I was looking for his family, the Russo's from Fitchburg. I did track down the address of Andrew Russo Sr., and also Andrew Russo's brother, (I forget his name right now, I think it was Philip or Pete). I spoke to the Sr.'s brother on the phone and at first he was very excited about meeting his nephew Andrew Jantz, but then he called the grandmother and when I called him back he said that she wanted nothing to do with him. Since then my friend has written at least one letter to his father and has not heard back anything. So, we have the feeling the family does NOT want to meet him. I wrote a letter to Andrew Sr. and his brother asking just for genealogical information, even if they never wanted to meet Andrew Jr., I wanted to at least give him his family tree so he could pass it down to his sons. I never heard back from anyone. It would be a wonderful way to start the new year if this is not so, and that they do in fact have interest in meeting him, or at least in imparting information to him about his family roots. I always thought that the younger brother of my friend, his half-brother (Anthony Andrew Russo) whom he has never met, would want to know he had a big brother. I could not find anything out about him. Are you related to this family? I have included all of the information I have on Andrew's Russo family genealogy.
Thank you,
Terry Lane
I wasn't sure why previous communications with Phillip led to the belief that the family didn't want to see Andrew Jr. Understanding the turmoil in Andrew Sr.'s life at the time, I offered to be the mediator between Andrew Jr. and his grandmother Palma.
From Kevin Caravella to Joan Jantz:
----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Caravella [mailto:kevincaravella@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, December 31, 2004 1:18 PM
To: terrylane
Subject: Please forward to Joan Jantz
Hi Joan,
I really enjoyed speaking with you Sunday evening. I know this is a very confusing situation, but with a little time I think we will all be able to meet. Here is the rundown of situations and information since we spoke.
Tuesday was the funeral for Phillip Russo, I spoke with Jeffery Russo about your husband. He is very interested in contacting him. He drove up from Florida for the funeral and drove back. He also took his mother Palma back with him for a vacation. She also wants to contact her grandson – but – she is very nervous if this will upset Andrew, so she is very torn with feelings. Andrew left Fitchburg on Christmas eve (without really telling anyone, including his mother who is currently living with) and drove to Jeffery’s house in Florida. By this weekend they should all be together at Jeffery’s house. In speaking with Jeffery he wants to talk to Andrew Sr. about this situation to help reunite him with his son. But in any case, he would like to get to know his nephew. He will also like to connect his mother Palma with Andrew Jr. without having any feelings hurt. (Confusing, yes – hopeless, no).
Kevin Caravella
Fitchburg, MA
Our communication continued, and I finally spoke to Andrew Jantz on the phone, arranging to meet in person. We planned a dinner in Arlington on May 25, 2005. That meeting marked the beginning of Andy's reconnection with his Russo family. He spent the following years with his grandmother Palma and father Andrew before they passed away, maintaining close relationships with his "Italian" side of the family.
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"Long Lost Cousin" - Andy Jantz
Uncanny family resemblance! |
Andy has also written several books including one poem about the Upper Common in Fitchburg.
