Frank J. Aiello

Frank J. Aiello, age 84, of Volin, South Dakota, died Monday, February 24, 2025, with family by his side, at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton, South Dakota.

Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM on Monday, March 3, 2025, at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Yankton with Reverend Jim Mason and Reverend Bob Lacey officiating. Burial will be at a later date. A gathering of friends and family will be from 3:00 to 5:00 PM on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton, South Dakota with a rosary at 5:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, or the Aiello-Torkelson Scholarship at the University of South Dakota.

To watch a replay of Frank's Funeral Mass, please visit https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15miYK5zKR/

Frank J. Aiello was born May 23, 1940, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Dominic and Rose (Gemelli) Aiello. As a young boy, he loved to sit inside the speaker box of his grandfather's Victrola and listen to tenor "the great Caruso." He attended school in Des Moines, where he sang leading roles in the musicals and graduated from Lincoln High School. He then attended Drake University and received his Bachelors in Music Education. As he prepared for his bachelor’s recital, he met his accompanist, Judy Grosvenor. Frank went on to teach at Urbandale, Iowa High School, and he continued to study at Drake University, where he received his Master in Musical Performance degree. After a lengthy courtship, Frank and Judy were married in Des Moines on August 13, 1966. They moved to New York, where he was music director for three elementary schools in Port Chester. During this time, he studied with a Metropolitan Opera coach, but his heart was in teaching. He accepted a job at the University of South Dakota (USD) in Vermillion as a professor of voice and opera.

 He performed extensively in the Midwest and elsewhere, including a Kennedy Center performance to represent South Dakota for the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. His voice students won Music Teacher’s National Association (MTNA) contests, National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) contests, and Metropolitan Opera auditions at the state, regional, and national levels. He received USD's highest teaching award, the Belbas-Larson award for excellence in teaching, in 1994.

Frank was very active as an adjudicator, both regionally and nationally. He served on the MTNA board for vocal literature and contest requirements.

 He took a sabbatical from USD for two years and moved to Norman, Oklahoma, where he received his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Oklahoma.

He returned to USD in Vermillion and continued to teach for 33 years. He served twice as chair of the music department and was inducted into the College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame in its first year of existence. Frank loved teaching and taking students on summer tours to Italy, the land of his ancestors. 

After his retirement from USD, he was asked to join the staff at Mount Marty College in Yankton, where he served as head of the music department for four years.

Frank loved the opera and was always teaching. He most recently taught at the 2019 Brancaleoni Music Festival in Piobbico, Italy.

He also enjoyed hunting, fishing, shooting sporting clays, cooking, and the company of good dogs. He was adventurous and loved traveling with Judy all over Europe, including Italy, England, Germany and Austria. Frank had a natural gift for dramatic and humorous storytelling, and he loved to share his joy and generosity with friends and family through music and food.

Survivors include his wife, Judy of Volin, South Dakota; two children: Rose Helen (Steve) Carlson of Omaha, Nebraska and Dominic Aiello of Austin, Texas; four grandchildren: Adriana (Andrew) Hawkins, Elena (David) Carlson, Lucia Carlson and Maria Carlson; three great grandchildren: Miriam, Joseph and Dominic; sister, Catherine (Hugh) Stirts and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dominic and Rose Aiello.