Phyllis LoRusso

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Phyllis (Dalio) LoRusso, on June 26, 2026, in Fairfield, Connecticut, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

Phyllis was born April 21, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York, and moved with her family to Queens during her teenage years. After high school, she worked for Hartford Insurance Company and was blessed to meet her great love, the late John LoRusso Jr., early in life. Both fabulous dancers, they met at a Latin music club in New York City, fell in love, and the rest was history. They married in 1967 and built a home in the Gibson enclave of Valley Stream, Long Island, where they raised three children and were together until John’s untimely passing in 1991.

When her children grew older, Phyllis returned to work as a monitor in the Hewlett-Woodmere School District. She had a fun-loving, childlike spirit and enjoyed working with kids on the playground and in the classroom. When any of the students ran into her in the neighborhood, they would rush over for a hug or to say hi to “Miss Phyllis.” In her later years, she worked as a clerk for the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, from which she retired in 2017. She enjoyed her coworkers and friends in the library community and being surrounded by books, which she frequently brought home for her children and grandchildren.

Phyllis was a loving mother and the best grandmother a child could ask for. She loved doting on her family and neighbors with delicious food, decorating and hosting over the holidays, catching Broadway shows, and traveling to New York City, Connecticut and California to visit her grandchildren—whom she affectionately spoiled with gifts and boundless attention. Phyllis also enjoyed watching funny movies, hanging out with her beloved sister (the late Joan Ferro), and lunching with her longtime pals at the local diner.

Phyllis had the soul of an artist. In her youth, she was a fashionista who considered a career as a beauty stylist, and throughout her lifetime she dabbled in dancing, painting, cake-decorating, home crafts and other creative pursuits. When her children were young, she never missed an opportunity to help them with a diorama or other school art project.

Most people knew Phyllis as sweet, soft-spoken and reserved. She was a gentle spirit who never had an unkind word to say about anyone, and she was always highly considerate of others’ feelings. With her family and closest friends she was silly, warmhearted and fun.

In addition to her husband and sister, Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents, Bettina (Vulcano) Dalio and Philip Dalio. She is survived by her children, Maryann LoRusso (Steven Jo) San Francisco, Nicole LoRusso Stepan (Andy Stepan) of Fairfield, Connecticut, and John LoRusso (Ashley Bass) of Forest Hills, New York; and five grandchildren, Ava Jo, Ryan Jo, Leah Stepan, Evan Stepan and Sophia LoRusso. She leaves behind many other extended family members and friends who will deeply miss her.

Phyllis touched the lives of everyone who had the honor of knowing her. Her selflessness, warmth, humor, infectious laughter and generous spirit will be remembered forever. She leaves behind a legacy of love, strength and compassion that lives on in all of us.

Services will be held at Mangano Funeral Home of Middle Island, 640 Middle Country Road, Middle Island, Long Island, on Thursday, July 2, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by burial at Calverton National Cemetery, 210 Princeton Boulevard, Calverton, Long Island.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of Phyllis.