Elaine Opisso

Elaine Opisso

07/30/2024

Elaine Opisso passed surrounded by family on July 30th.

She is remembered fondly by many as a media specialist, someone who shared a love of reading and research at Seville, Osteen, McInnis, George Marks Elementary Schools, Deltona Junior High and DeLand High School. Some remember her puppet shows and reading aloud in the lower grades, or the help with citations and endless term papers in the secondary grades. Many DeLand natives were issued their first library card by Mrs. Opisso.

With a degree in Library Science from the University of South Florida, Elaine nurtured generations of book lovers. After retiring from Volusia County Schools, Elaine continued her service in education while President of the Retired Teachers Association and a member of the Friends of the Library Board.

Elaine loved to learn as well as teach. She used her research talents to find genealogy documents and track her family tree. She made homemade bread, gourmet meals and  exquisite hand-sewn quilts. House plants and flowers bloomed under her green thumb.  She was a skilled card player and excellent homemaker and hostess.

She found her partner in life in John Opisso. Together, they built their Glenwood home in 1979 and raised two children, Erica, 40 and Alexis, 34. John and Elaine were active in their daughters’ schools and activities, then renewing that same energy and support to two grandchildren. Elaine was an irreplaceable grandmother to her 2 grandchildren Evelyn and Amelia. The little girls enjoyed countless days of crafts, baking, swimming and swinging with their grandparents.

Elaine’s early life began in DeLand, born to Ernest Rano and Lillian Turnquist Rano. Elaine was the youngest of 3 children, and is survived by her older siblings John Rano and Karen Starling.

She attended Wisconsin Avenue Elementary School, then DeLand Junior High before graduating from DeLand High with the class of 1967. Her only time outside of Volusia County was schooling at USF then a library internship in Plant City.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the MeStrong.net or the DeLand Friends of the Library at dfotl.org .