Southend Rossi ice cream heartfelt tributes paid to Nancy

Nancy Giudici was a familiar face to many in Southend after initially starting to deliver ice cream in the city back in the 1970s.

Her death has sparked an outpouring on sadness on social media from residents and Nancy’s family have paid tribute to her as kind, caring and selfless.

Nancy, 97, retired a few months before her 90th birthday and had been selling ice cream for more than 40 years.

Tributes - Nancy with her Rossi ice cream van (Image: Newsquest)

She was fondly known throughout Southend as the “little lady who drives the Rossi van”.

Daughters Sandi and Gina paid tribute together and said: “Nancy. Everyone knows her name. It is synonymous with Rossi ice cream in Southend.

“We moved to Southend in the late 70s - mum, dad, myself, and my sister Gina, and brother Zepi.

“Ice cream was the path she took from the start. Once she got her first little van, she was off. The rest, as they say, is history.

“She was well-known by many generations of people, children who have grown and had children of their own.

“It is incredibly comforting to read all the lovely comments that people have written. She is the star of many memories.

“She was a loving, caring mum, Nonna, and great Nonna, and we were very lucky to have her.

“She is irreplaceable and has left a large hole in our lives.”

The family’s announcement of Nancy’s sad passing received hundreds of comments and was shared hundreds of time on Facebook.

Nancy’s son, Zepi, added: “You can see by the hundreds of tributes what sort of presence mum had; the hearts she had touched, and the memories hundreds of people share. I have never been this proud of anyone in my life and feel honoured to carry mum’s bloodline.

“It has brought me great comfort knowing how loved mum was outside of the family walls. A true legend in every way.

“We are all heartbroken and are carrying the same overwhelming emotions. But knowing the pleasure she has brought to many over the years, is so comforting to me.”