Grace Nero, age 80, passed away on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 after a courageous battle with lung cancer.

She was born in Decollatura, Province of Catanzaro, Italy on June 16, 1940, and was the daughter of Joseph and Alerina (Cera) Scalzo.

Grace attended school in Italy and emigrated to the United States in 1960. She married her husband John Nero on August 21, 1971 in Rochester, New York.

She was a devout Catholic and enjoyed attending Mass on Sunday’s. As a devoted mother and doting grandmother, she looked forward to making dinner for her family, spending time with her grandchildren, and during the holidays- baking Christmas cookies and Easter bread.

From 1991-2007, Grace worked for Dairyland Greyhound Park.

Grace will be dearly missed by her mother, Alerina; her sister Dora (Robert) Hill, and brother Sam (Lynn) Scalzo; her husband, John; her children, Nicola and Joseph Nero; her grandchildren, Dominic and Roma Nero; her 5 nieces and nephews and her sister-in-law, Sharon Scalzo.

In addition to her father, Joseph, Grace was preceded in death by her brother, John Scalzo; and her sisters, Rosa Scalzo and Carmella Scalzo.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Sayed Hader, Jamie Cairo, Deb Capozza and the entire staff at Aurora Cancer Center. She was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2016 and given 3 months to live. Their skilled and compassionate care gave Grace a rewarding life until her death.