Vella died peacefully at home on March 18, 2021 at the age of 84. Vella is predeceased by her parents, Peter & Mary Iacobelli; sisters, Angela Iacobelli & Rose Guarino; brother, Daniel Iacobelli; mother-in-law, Frances Bianchi; & sister-in-law, Louise Bianchi. She is survived by her loving husband of 63 years, Patrick M. Bianchi; children, Stephanie (Kevin) Corcoran & Martin (Catherine) Bianchi; grandchildren, Matthew (Katelin) Corcoran, Sean Corcoran, Madeleine Bianchi; great-grandchild, Brooks Corcoran; nephews, Glenn (Lorel Jo) Guarino & Gregg (Kathleen) Guarino; niece, Ann Marie Sauzzi-Hutcherson; great-niece, Susanna Guarino; great-nephews, Anthony Guarino, Joe Guarino, Michael Guarino & Nicholas Guarino. Also survived by nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins & dear friends.

Per NYS regulations all are required to wear masks and sanitize at the funeral home & church.

Vella's life story will be shared during her visiting hours, Friday, March 26th, 6-9 PM at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Lane (between 390 & Long Pond Rd.). Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, March 27th, 11 AM at Our Mother Of Sorrows Church, 5000 Mt. Read Blvd., and will also be lived streamed https://www.facebook.com/MotherOfSorrows followed by her burial in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Vella was born in 1936 on Jones Avenue in Rochester, a neighborhood primarily of Italian-American immigrant families. Her significant childhood memories include riding her bicycle in the circle around Jones Park and her mother Mary nursing her back to health at home from a year-long rheumatic fever illness at age 8. She had three older siblings: Angela (1923) Daniel (1925) and Rose (1928.) She shared a bedroom with her sisters and they remained close until their passing. She admired her brother's Sports accomplishments through his local newspaper articles, and received letters from him during his Army Air Corps. service from 1941-43.

At age 17, her father Peter built a new home for his wife Mary on Dewey Ave. in Greece. With her senior year at Jefferson HS remaining, she'd take two city busses each way daily to be able to graduate with her class. She loved being in the Jeff Singers Choir and traveled to Chicago with them. Her yearbook caption read "Lovely hair, pretty face, Laughing eyes, full of grace". She received the Good Citizenship Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her high test scores in her Business courses spurred her Counselor to recommend her to interview at Eastman Kodak, where she worked until 1959 in the Communications, Credit and Cashier's Offices. She would spend weekends water-skiing and picnicking with her family at their Shore Acres cottage on Lake Ontario, also built by her father.

Vella met Pat Bianchi in March 1957 at the Garden Grill. They were engaged in July and married in November of that year. In 1958, Pat joined the US Army Reserves until 1967, serving six months active duty at Fort Dix NJ. They first lived in a rental on Kintz Street, then bought their first home on Raines Park in Rochester, where they welcomed their children Stephanie in 1959 and Martin in 1963. In 1964 they built their forever home on Latta Road in Greece. During their children's summer vacations, they'd rent a cottage on Canandaigua Lake for two weeks and invite family to join them for fishing, swimming and cookouts. Other favorite family vacations included trips to Montreal, Toronto & Disney World. Sundays were spent visiting their parents, siblings, nieces and nephews to share home cooking and good times. Through the sixties and early seventies, Vella spent every holiday cooking a traditional Naples-style Italian meal with her mother and sisters, followed by her brother Dan playing piano and accordion leading them in joyful singalongs! For 15 years, she enjoyed League bowling, winning a Team event with her son Marty in 1978. In 1972, she and Pat established their business Patrick M. Bianchi Painting and Decorating Inc. and retired in 1998. She was a true, supportive partner to Pat during this time, especially in her role as Office Manager and Bookkeeper, and also job-shared with her sister Rose from 1981-1996.

She was very proud that both Stephanie and Martin graduated from St. Bonaventure University. In 1987, Pat and Vella purchased a townhome on Canandaigua Lake, and she loved to escape there on weekends to swim, boat and relax. She welcomed her grandchildren Matthew (1993) Sean (1996) and Madeleine (1999) and truly enjoyed her role as Grandma attending their games and events, and cooking and babysitting for them. During their retirement, Vella and Pat traveled annually to Pennsylvania to attend Train shows, and during winter months to Florida for Fishing and Knife shows and to sightsee along the way. She was a long time parishioner of Our Mother of Sorrows Church. Her final years were spent at her home as the heart of our family, and she will be deeply missed by those who knew her and loved her.