Bruna Ossi

Bruna Fiorent' Ossi NORFOLK - Bruna Fiorent' Ossi was born in 1930 in Trieste, Italy, and departed this life after a battle with pancreatic cancer on Saturday, May 29, 2010 in her Norfolk home surrounded by her loving family. A memorial service will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, on the corner of Princess Anne and Blow streets, on Friday, June 4. The family will be receiving visitors at 1 p.m. at the church, and the service will follow at 2 p.m. The widow of the late Erminio Ossi, Bruna is survived by her two sons and their families, Massimo and his wife Sarah Jane Gaskill and their daughter Francesca of Bloomington, Ind., and Alessandro and his wife Cordelia and their two sons Nicholas and Thomas of Norfolk. Her sister, Franca Marchesi, and a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, nephews, nieces, and their families, live in Italy. Erminio, Bruna, and their children were relocated from Rome, Italy, to Norfolk in 1970 by MMM Design Group. Bruna quickly became sought after as an Italian teacher and established an Italian group that has continued to meet once a week for the last 30 years. In her teaching career, she held adjunct faculty positions at Old Dominion University and taught Italian through NATO. She continued to give private lessons in her home until November 2009. Bruna also owned and operated two very successful Italian eateries in the Ghent section of Norfolk. The first, Roma 83, with her dear friend Antonietta Merlo, delighted patrons with gourmet take out from the fanciful Boissevain Avenue location. Trattoria Roma later offered bistro-style dining and enjoyed a devoted clientele. Among her greatest joys were cooking, her family, her friends and students, the Chrysler Museum, the Virginia Opera, and the Feldman Chamber Music Society. The family gratefully acknowledges the dedication and generosity of Ann Festa, R.N., and of the hospice nurses and aides who assisted in caring for Bruna during the months prior to her passing. In lieu of flowers, Bruna had requested that donations be made to the American Cancer Society.