Frances Marie Russell

Frances was born on Sept. 27, 1942 in Jersey City, N.J. the daughter of Nicholas and Angelina D'Angelo. She was raised in Bayonne, N.J., the eldest child of three brothers and two sisters. She attended public schools in Bayonne and lived at home with her parents and siblings until her young adult years when she went to work full time, first at Budzinski Bakery and later at the local offices of Bell Telephone Company. She had worked at Bell for many years, eventually assuming supervisory roles in their Oradel, N.J. office.

On August 1st, 1970, she married Robert J. Russell, the father of two boys from a previous marriage, Robert and Thomas. Shortly after they married, Frances became a dutiful wife and a mother to Robert and Thomas, eventually adopting them as her own. The family lived together in Middletown, N.J. from December 1971 to around December of 1984, when they moved to Virginia Beach, Va. For years, Frances thrived in her role as a homemaker, creating many joyful memories as she loved to cook and decorate the house at every holiday, particularly Christmas. She also played a supporting role as doting parent and guardian during the family's many memorable vacations and summers at the beach at Avon-By-The-Sea, N.J.

She continued this role following the birth of her three grandsons, Rob, Christopher and Matthew, spending time with and creating a lasting bond with each of them that continued until her last moments on earth. In her later years, she developed a similar bond with her youngest grandchildren, Tommy and Mikayla.

She and her husband, Robert, moved to their beach house in Corolla in the fall of 2001. Together they created a beloved home that illustrates their passion for decorating and creating a place where family and friends have been able to gather and create many lasting memories. Robert preceded her in death in February 2007.

She is survived by her two sons, Robert and Thomas and their respective spouses, Madeline and Rebecca. She is also survived by her five grandchildren, Rob, Christopher, Matthew, Mikayla and Tommy. In addition she is survived by her loving sisters, Rosemarie and Angel and their respective spouses, William and Tony as well as three brothers, Nicholas and his wife Betsy; Vincent and his wife Marie, Joseph, and a host of nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held Monday, Sept. 30, 2019 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at Rosewood Kellum Funeral Home, 601 N. Witchduck Rd. Virginia Beach, VA 23463. A funeral will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019 at Noon, at the funeral home with entombment to follow in Rosewood Memorial Park. You may offer condolences to the family at www.kellumfuneralhome.com.