Menina Rizzo

Menina Rizzo, age 92, passed away on Sunday, April 19, 2026. 

She was born on May 28, 1933, to Achille & Maria (Pellicciotti) Melchiorre, in Gessopalena, a small town in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. Menina also spent a great deal of her childhood with her adored grandmother, Minuccia Pellicciotti, who she affectionately called mamma. 

Menina left Italy for America in 1954 with her mother and brother, Nicola. She later met Frank, who had immigrated two years earlier and who’s intention was to return to Italy. “La fiamma era Menina,” he’d later say. She was the flame that sparked, that kept him in America. They were married for 61 years until his death in 2018. 

Menina was a devoted mother and grandmother. After she raised her two daughters, Menina proudly went back to work as a seamstress, a craft she honed in Italy as a young girl, helping her father sew the pants for the suits he tailored for the men in the town. She retired early and then spent many years caring for and making pastina, braciole, and potato croquettes for her grandchildren. Menina is best remembered as a strong, loving, and accepting woman, generously sending over a plate of meatballs or a tray of pizzelles as a token of appreciation or comfort. 

She is survived by her daughters, Rosemarie (the late Boris) and Pina (Jerry); grandchildren, Bianca (Carlo), Alexandria (Brendan), Jerry (Kelsey), Christopher, Matthew, Gianna and the late Franny; great-grandchildren, Jerry, Stevie, Josephine, Jack, James, and Mira; sister, Nunzia; and many nieces and nephews. 

Funeral services will be held privately.