For the final goodbye, procession passes Station 1

By JOE GORMAN

jgorman@vindy.com

POLAND

For the late Ronald Russo, the credo “la famiglia e tutto” – or family is everything – was indeed everything, family members told mourners Thursday at funeral services for the city fire department battalion chief.

Russo’s daughter, Marie Rupert; his twin brother, Richard; and his brother, Robert, told mourners at Poland United Methodist Church about the kind of man Russo was, and that often involved tales of food, wine, time spent with family and lots of laughter.

“He was the rock,” Richard Russo said of his brother, 64, who was a firefighter for 37 years before he was killed Oct. 20 in a motorcycle accident in Ashtabula County. “He was the rock of the family.”

Richard Russo was also a city firefighter and had retired from the department. But he wore his dress uniform and spoke of working with his brother for several years, then getting a chance to work with him again in the past few weeks he worked before retiring.

“He was always there and he always had my back,” Richard Russo said. “It was an honor to have him with me those last few weeks.”

“Any time I called him, he was there,” added Robert Russo, a deputy sheriff for the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office. “I’ll never forget him. He was one of the best friends I could ever have.”

Rupert told the crowd she heard stories of her father and brothers and the adventures they had gotten into as children. She said family trips to Florida when they were young were special, and her father always tried to build the biggest and best sand castle.

As they got older, Rupert said her father gave her and her siblings jobs at the fire extinguisher business he worked at to teach them how to work. He helped them learn to save for cars and even taught them to drive.

“He taught us all how to drive – all before we were 10 years old,” Rupert said as the crowd laughed.

As a father and later grandfather, he attended almost every game or event his children or grandchildren were involved in, Rupert said. And Rupert and his brothers said Russo was known for his hospitality and his prowess in the kitchen.

“Everyone was welcome, and they better come hungry,” Rupert said.

Robert Russo said his brother loved to cook for showers for his daughters or other women in the family, and his cookouts were legendary.

Rupert said her father loved his job.

“He couldn’t even think about retiring,” she said.

“He lived life to the max,” Rupert said. “He lived life to the absolute fullest, and he wants us to do the same thing.”

When the service was over, the procession passed by Fire Station 1 downtown led by the truck Russo spent most of his career on, Squad 33, and firefighters on duty and some who attended the service lined up in front of the station and saluted when the procession went by.

Capt. Willard Mullins rehearsed the men on how to stand at attention, salute, and then stand at ease. He said he was impressed.

“Everybody looks good,” Mullins said. “Chief Russo would be real proud of you.”