Obituary of Pat Russo

Patricia B. Russo, 84, of Wildwood Crest, NJ passed away peacefully at her home on January 23, 2019. The youngest of four children, Patricia was born on September 11, 1934 to the late Charles and Matilda Jerrell Bush of Millville, NJ. After her father passed away, her mother remarried and the family moved to Clermont, NJ.

      Patricia attended Middle Township High School in Cape May Court House and then moved to New York City where she enrolled in the Barbizon School of Modeling.  Working as a sample model in the Garment District in New York City, Patricia returned to Clermont in the summer of 1953 and found a job at the Ruth Feld Shop in Wildwood, NJ. She became friendly with the Russo sisters; whose family operated a popular Italian restaurant in town. The sisters fixed her up on a blind date with their younger brother Joseph and they were married two years later, on October 1, 1955.

     Joseph and Patricia built a home in Wildwood Crest,  NJ where they raised five children in a fervent, fun-filled household.  They exposed their family to the world through a host of activities like camping, Civil War battlefield excursions, canoe trips, snow skiing, sailing, and crabbing and there were always groups of family and friends tagging along. Patricia and her husband loved to garden, both at home and elsewhere. The resplendent hydrangeas which surrounded their vacation home on Tilghman Island in Maryland became their hallmark. She was also known for her culinary skills, often meeting and exceeding the expectations of her old-world Italian in-laws. “Not bad for an Irish girl,” she used to say. In her later years her time was devoted to playing cards with her girlfriends, serving as a eucharistic minister at her parish, Notre Dame de la Mer, volunteering at Cape Regional Medical Center, and working in the information center for both the cities of Wildwood and Wildwood Crest during the summer. Patricia was predeceased by her husband Joseph and is survived by her five children, Joseph Jr. (Carla) of Cape May Court House, Lisa, of Wildwood Crest, Bianca (Michael) Davis of Easton, Maryland, Amy (Ed) Coleman of Wildwood, and Sam (Jamie) of Cape May Court House, thirteen grandchildren, and fourteen great grandchildren.

    Relatives and friends may call between 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, February 2, at the Notre Dame De La Mer Parish, 7100 Seaview Ave., Wildwood Crest NJ with a mass of Christian burial to follow.  Internment will be at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Cold Spring, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted to the Love of Linda Cancer Fund or the Tilghman Watermen’s Museum.  Condolences may be made at ingersollgreenwoodfh.com