Maria Russo, 82, of Middletown, passed away on Friday (March 13, 2015) , with her family by her side. Born on March 6, 1933 in Melilli, Sicily, Italy she was the daughter of the late Giovanni and Anna (Lagana) Russo. She was a longtime member of St. Sebastian Church in Middletown, as well as a member of Our Daughters of the Lady of the Garden and the Third Franciscan Order. She leaves behind her nieces Agatha 'Aggie' Solomon and her husband Gary of Durham, Ann Marie Ruel and her husband Ray of Middletown, and nephews Salvatore Salafia of Middletown, John Salafia and his wife Jill of Cromwell, John Russo and his wife Tonja of Hebron, and John Russo of Middletown; her 14 precious grand nieces and nephews who simply referred to her as 'Zia'; Matthew, Amy, Jessica, Eric, Christopher, Ryan, Samantha, Joseph, Jacob, Michelle, Melissa, Zachary, Jacob, and Claire; her brother, Salvatore Russo and his wife Nella, a brother-in-law Santo Salafia and a sister-in-law Concetta 'Connie' Russo of Wethersfield. She was predeceased by her brother, Vincenzo 'Vinnie' Russo and sister Albina Salafia. Maria was a simple woman with simple ideals; love God, love your family, and help others. These simple ideals are the things that touched the lives of her family and friends around her. She was an extremely religious woman and is the closest that any of us will ever come to being in the presence of a true saint. If her grand nieces or nephews had an ailment, it was nothing that her prayers couldn't fix. If you knew Zia was praying for you, you knew you were in good hands. She was a witty woman with a quiet, wry sense of humor. She was a skilled seamstress who was able to impeccably make or mend just about anything. Her incredible bond with her grand nieces and nephews was something that had to be witnessed to be understood. She was a wonderful woman with a truly beautiful soul and she will be missed dearly by her family and friends. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 10am at Saint Sebastian Church 155 Washington Street, Middletown. There will be no calling hours. Burial will follow the Mass at Saint Sebastian Cemetary, Middletown, CT. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Maria's memory to St. Sebastian's Renovation Fund, 155 Washington St, Middletown, CT 06422.