AIELLO, Stephen Emilio Of Delray Beach, Florida, passed away after a brief illness, at the age of 72, on June 24, 2021. Stephen was born in Medford, MA, on January 14, 1949, the son of Dorothy and August Aiello. As a young man in the late 1960's, Stephen was a successful musician in Boston. While playing piano and Hammond organ in several local groups, Stephen played gigs supporting Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, and Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green. He jammed with B.B. King and Muddy Waters, spent time with Jorma Kaukonen and Joe Cocker, and saw some of the greatest musicians perform as a regular backstage at the Boston Tea Party music venue. During this same period Stephen met his future wife Laurel. They walked the next 40 years of life together, hand in hand, through laughter and tears. Steve and Laurel spent only a few days apart during their entire lives together and were unequivocally each other's best friend. Together they raised their son, Emmett, and lived on Cape Cod until the late 90's, where they spent many sun-filled days at the beach together. Later, Steve and Laurel moved to Delray Beach, Florida to be closer to their own parents and to start a new chapter, with new sunny beaches. Laurel passed away after a long battle with cancer in 2011, during which Stephen was her constant caregiver and emotional support, ushering her through countless treatments. Both are survived by their son Emmett Aiello of Woodstock, NY. Stephen achieved his dream to be a teacher in the early 1980's after graduating from Tufts University. Over the next 40 years Stephen taught at the middle, high-school, and college levels in Connecticut, Boston, South Florida, and on Cape Cod. Since 1999, Stephen was a Professor of English, Drama and Humanities at Lynn University of Boca Raton. He was particularly proud of the small drama club he started with the help of his wife Laurel, one which eventually blossomed into a full department and University major. During his career, Stephen touched the lives of thousands of students and always stood proudly beside those who felt most marginalized by their peers. In 2014, Stephen was named Teacher of the Year at Lynn University by the student body. Stephen taught his last classes in May of 2021, meeting with students remotely due to COVID, completing his correcting and submission of final grades, despite worsening illness. Stephen will be buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, in his hometown of Medford, with his parents and beloved wife Laurel beside him. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to the Lynn University College of Arts and Sciences Scholarship Fund. Go to Give.Lynn.Edu to make your gift. After entering the amount of your gift, select the College of Arts and Sciences as the gift designation and under the Tribute section note that your gift is in memory of Stephen Aiello. One of Stephen's favorite pieces of literature was the William James essay "Is Life Worth Living?" in which the author states, "Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact." To leave a message of condolence, please visit www.dellorusso.net Dello Russo Family Funeral Homes

Medford-Woburn

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Published by Boston Globe from Jul. 8 to Jul. 11, 2021.

Memories and Condolences
for STEPHEN AIELLO

6 Entries

Jeff Morgan

July 2, 2024

Katy Shea

February 23, 2023

I´ll always remember Mr. Aiello as a man of great ideas, enthusiasm and patience. He was there for us in such a meaningful way at age 14 when we felt so alone and forgotten.

He lives on in me and in I´m sure so many other students he directed and helped. He took the time to be kind, listen and make us feel seen. Not a bad lesson to impart upon terrible awkward kids.

He will be missed.

Jeff Morgan

July 4, 2022

There are certain songs that, when I hear them, I think of Steve. We made a lot of music together. Hard to believe that it has been a year.

David and Sue Fleisher

July 13, 2021

As a professor at Lynn University, Steve´s generosity to colleagues and students was inspiring.
As a director/producer, Steve would reach out and nurture students who had not previously been involved in theater. He succeeded in bringing out their potential by motivating and encouraging them to perform, many times in challenging and even controversial plays.
We were in awe of his ability to bring plays to life using only modest production elements; for example, he transformed the raised platform in the school cafeteria into a viable performance space.
During a production of David´s plays, Steve worked closely with his wife Laurel, who contributed invaluable comments during rehearsals and who graciously illustrated publicity posters for the event.
The true measure of Steve´s immense capacity for caring and devotion became obvious when he cared for Laurel during her prolonged illness.
We will greatly miss Steve´s sense of humor and his compassionate spirit.

Ellen Brown

July 12, 2021

I was stunned to read this. He was a good friend who helped me immensely when I was widowed a few years ago. We shared stories of our late spouses, and I was so grateful for some of his sage advice. He will be missed by his students who he loved and of course, by his son who he adored.

Jeff Morgan

July 11, 2021

Steve was a great colleague with whom I collaborated on several artistic projects. I am so sorry. My heart is breaking.

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