Obituary: Rochelle Silverstein Gianino

Rochelle Silverstein Gianino, 85, passed away March 3, 2026, surrounded by her beloved family.

Rochelle “Shelly” was born in The Bronx, N.Y., on Dec. 27, 1940, the oldest daughter of Morris and Ida Silverstein. Rochelle grew up in New York. The family spent many summers in the Catskills with her cousins. In 1953, her family, including younger sisters, Sharon and Betty Anne, moved to Atlanta, Ga. Rochelle attended Grady High School and, ultimately, graduated from Druid Hills High School class of 1958.  She received her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Georgia.

She married and moved to California and worked in the television industry. She had two children, Eric and Deborah, and they lived out west until 1983 when she returned to Atlanta to be closer to family. Her career followed her passion for the healthcare industry; first as a nurse, then instructor and finally as a hospital quality assurance consultant. This career brought her to Boston, where she met the true love of her life, Charlie Gianino.

Charlie and Shelly married and retired in 1995. However, retirement was a lot more creating fun than slowing down. Rochelle and Charlie had fun in whatever community they lived. Rochelle was an intellectual creative and she loved writing and producing comedy sketch shows. Her shows would star her neighbors and friends and always sold out at the neighborhood clubhouse. She loved to make people laugh and share the spotlight where others could showcase their talents. She always had a great joke to tell. Rochelle was proud to be a member of Mensa and loved to watch “Jeopardy” to see if she could beat the contestants and often did. She loved to keep her mind challenged with crossword puzzles and was a savage Scrabble player.

While her long bouts with illnesses kept her from doing all the things she wished she could, she loved getting together with friends and family and hated to miss a party, holiday or simcha. She will be remembered for her wonderful sense of humor, her positive attitude and the love for her family.

Rochelle will be dearly missed and is survived by her devoted husband of 30-plus years, Charlie Gianino; her son, Eric (Cindy) Herschberg; daughter, Deborah (Robert) Augenstein; two granddaughters, Meishe Barber and Kiya (Ryan) Dearborn, and great-grandson, Callaghan; her sisters, Sharon (Richie) Dezotell and Betty Anne (Bryan) Russell. She is predeceased by her parents, Morris and Ida Silverstein.

A graveside funeral was held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at North Atlanta Memorial Park. Arrangements by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.