John Bligh
- Retired attendance teacher
John Russiello, a retired attendance teacher and football coach who spent 28 years working for the New York City Department of Education, died on Dec. 1, 2021, of cancer. He was 78.
John’s last assignment before retiring in 2002 was as an attendance teacher at Herbert H. Lehman HS in the Bronx, according to his daughter, Leslie King. He also worked at James Monroe HS and P186X, the Walter Damrosch Day Treatment School, both in the Bronx, she said.
King wrote in a summary of John’s life and career that her father “was an exceptional attendance teacher, football coach and community member.
“His commitment was exhibited by his willingness to go beyond the call of duty. He visited homes, worked with families and provided innovative ideas and suggestions regarding attendance improvement and dropout prevention,” she wrote.
During a eulogy for John at his memorial service in 2021, King said he was a man of faith who cared about people. “His compassion also aligned with his many years of working with students, coaching sports and ensuring that all students had access and opportunities to complete their education,” she said.
As an attendance teacher, John impacted students by building relationships, often helping them re-enroll in school, graduate from high school and find employment, King said.
She also noted that John did some acting. Most memorably, he was shoved out of the way in the opening scenes of “Rocky 2,” she said.
John, a U.S. Army veteran and reservist, is also survived by his wife, Zayda Russiello, to whom he was married for more than 30 years, and sons John Thomas Russiello and Eric Abrew. Zayda Russiello was a school secretary at Lehman HS. The couple, who met at James Monroe HS, moved to Las Vegas after they retired.
