Caring for the Rotolo Family During This Time

On Saturday night, September 28, in the wake of the storm which ravaged our Asheville community, our dear friend, Shirley Rotolo, passed away unexpectedly. Her husband, Renato, and her children, Nausica, Ulisse and Gea, are all devastated but safe, currently staying with family in Raleigh.

In this time of hardship, I am asking for help on behalf of Shirley’s family. Anyone who knew Shirley knows she was the backbone of her family. She worked so hard to care and support them. Due to the devastation of Hurricane Helene, no one in the family is able to work for the foreseeable future. They cannot even begin the sad task of planning a memorial to honor her passing because of the shut downs and chaos in the Asheville area. We know so many people are in need right now but we are asking for contributions to Shirley’s family in order to help pay for funeral expenses, repairs on the family home and to support the family while they grapple with this sudden and shocking loss.

For over 20 years I have had the privilege of knowing Shirley. At the end of the summer of 2003 we had just moved to Asheville and I took my daughter, Abeni, to a near by park. Shirley was there with her beautiful children, Nausica, Gea and Ulisse. As we chatted together and watched the kids play, I couldn’t know this moment was the beginning of friendships which would last over 20 years for all of us. What I did know is I wanted to be friends with this incredible woman. During the time of our friendship, I watched Shirley, with the support of Renato, work full time and beyond, teaching and getting her masters degree while raising 3 kids. She also found time to write 2 children’s novels (and was working on a third), make beautiful paintings and plant her incredible garden.

I never understood how she did it all. Perhaps it was because however hard she had to work, she brought so much joy in all she did. Maybe it was because the young children she nurtured and taught always loved her. She loved her job teaching at Odyssey School. I remember how excited Shirley was to have Nausica teaching art at Odyssey. I know it filled her heart with joy to share teaching with her daughter. She was always so proud of all her kids. Her daughter Gea is finishing her final year in college, double majoring in international affairs and economics. Her son Ulisse is a guitarist and works in tech. Her husband is a freelance photographer and videographer.

A note from the family:

We are in denial, our mother is our home and we lost her and at the same time watched our home town be wiped away by the hurricane. The horror of this last weekend will stay with us forever. Our mother is a magical woman, passionate, strong-willed, and inspiring, with the best sense of humor, always making us laugh and finding time to be playful and full of joy. The pain and loneliness we feel is indescribable, her shoes feel impossible to fill. She is superwoman and going on without her will be the hardest thing any of us will ever have to do. She will be forever missed.

Now that she is gone, I am hoping as a community, we can care for her family as she always did. Please give whatever you can. Anything will help. Thank you.