Stella (Cianci) Monaco, age 83, of Medford passed away on Thursday, December 5th after a brief illness. Raised and educated in Roxbury, she was the daughter of the late Santo and Michela (Ferro) Cianci. Stella lived in Medford for 63 years and was employed as a lab technician for over 30 years at Medford Medical Lab. She was also the bookkeeper for the family business, Monaco Family Hair Care of Winchester.

Stella loved to cook, preparing daily homemade meals for her family and holiday feasts for her extended family, which always featured fabulous desserts too numerous to count. She was an expert seamstress, making outfits for her girls when they were little and making wedding dresses and bridesmaid’s dresses when they got married. Stella was active in her church for many decades, playing the violin and piano on the worship team, running Toys for Tots, and helping out with Vacation Bible School. She had a great sense of humor, loved all shades of mauve and burgundy, and was a master at crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles, possessing the analytical mind of an engineer. Above all, Stella put the needs of her family and others first.

Stella was the beloved wife of Andrew Monaco, and the devoted mother of Mark Monaco and his wife Mary of Knoxville, TN, Karen Darke and her husband Christopher of Groveland, Lauren Kreatz and her husband Frederick of Medford, Andrea Caranfa and her late husband Paul of Reading, and Matthew Monaco of Medford. She was a doting grandmother to her ten cherished grandchildren, Andrew, Amanda, Nicholas, Kaitlin, Rachel, Benjamin, Emily, Alexia, Colette and Faith, and aunt to over 20 nieces and nephews. Stella was the dear sister of the late Josephine Webber, John Cianci, David Cianci, Anna DeLuca, Salvatore Cianci and Arthur Cianci. She was the sister-in-law of Nicholas Monaco of Stoneham and the late Rocco DiCarlo, Rose Paglieroni, Philomena Citro and Mary Poulos.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to visit with Stella’s family on Wednesday, December 11th from 9 AM to 12 noon in the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main St., Medford, followed by a funeral service in the funeral home, and concluding with burial at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford.