61.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Russell Ciolli, Grimaldi's owner, dies at 39
Obituary
Russell Hunter Ciolli, 39, owner of Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzaria in Garden City, unexpectedly died on Wednesday, Nov. 23, after a heart attack.
George Pereira, the bartender at Grimaldi’s who knew Ciolli since high school said, “He was the most giving, wonderful person. All of his customers loved him.”
Ciolli went to high school in Mineola, but lived in East Meadow for a majority of his life with wife Jennifer Heaney and his children, Ava Victoria, 8, and Hunter Michael, 4.
Frank Ciolli, Russell’s father, bought Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn, and like his older brother Joey, Russell joined the family business and ran the only location on Long Island until is death, Pereira said.
Ciolli was also the beloved son of Gloria and stepson to Anita Ciolli and Brice Mina. He is also survived by two sisters, Marjorie and Vikki.
Ciolli was buried Monday at Locust Valley Cemetery following a mass at the Church of St. Aidan in Williston Park.
His family is asking for donations to the Wounded Warrior Veterans of America or the American Heart Association in lieu of flowers.
