On June 24, 2021, Stephen Emilio Aiello of Delray Beach, Florida passed away after a brief illness at the age of 72. 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.”