Carmella Mary Rizzo, 101, of Chestnut Hill, the tiny but powerful force behind the late Philadelphia Mayor Frank L. Rizzo, died Sunday, July 15, of respiratory failure at her home.Mrs. Rizzo was born in 1916 during World War I. The daughter of first-generation Italian Americans, she was one of seven children, and she understood the meaning of earning her station in life, according to a family tribute.

Carmella Mary Rizzo, 101, of Chestnut Hill, the tiny but powerful force behind the late Philadelphia Mayor Frank L. Rizzo, died Sunday, July 15, of respiratory failure at her home. Mrs. Rizzo was born in 1916 during World War I. The daughter of first-generation Italian Americans, she was one of seven children, and she understood the meaning of earning her station in life, according to a family tribute.