The Loss of a King of Borden Studies

[Stefani]

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the death of one of my best friends, Len Rebello.

Len

I still cannot believe he is gone. Those of you who knew him might remember him for his interest in the Lizzie Borden case and as author of the seminal work “Lizzie Borden: Past and Present”—still regarded as a resource manual. His book, fondly referred to as “the Rebello” by frequent users, came out in 1999, with the assistance of Len’s best friend Bill Pavao.

Len was my lunchmate, my shopping partner, my antiquing pal, my Apple store compatriot, and my movie theatre friend. We spent countless hours together just chewing the fat and not talking much about Lizzie. He was my spontaneous friend—just a phone call away for another unplanned or unscheduled adventure. He showed me Mount Auburn Cemetery, Concord (many times), Waldon Pond, Harvard Square, The Coop (many times), Salem, amazing out of way independent book stores, and the Emily Dickinson House in Springfield. We also went on explorations together to Swansea and Norton to do Lizzie research, and we made new discoveries together.

I met Len way back in 2006 when I came to Fall River to do a Lizzie Borden lecture. He was so gracious to give me and my sister a tour of the city, pointing out landmarks, and filling us full of his most excellent stories. He knew so many of the people involved in the study, and even those who knew Miss Borden herself! He was always eager to visit with us at the Lizzie Borden B&B in those days, and was the best tour guide you could imagine. He really was the “king of Lizzie.”

When I moved to Fall River in 2008, Len and I began our in-person friendship, and it was an important one for me.

Len’s interests went way beyond Lizzie, though. He was collecting research on Fall River artists, wrote four books on assisting special education teachers to use the Orton-Gillingham reading system, for which he was certified, and worked well beyond his retirement from the Norton Public School system as a reading tutor and evaluator at Diman Regional High School.

When COVID hit, Len was eager to figure out how to return to his love of tutoring students by implementing plexiglass separators. He knew the students needed his expertise and any break in their learning routine would be detrimental.

I was his computer geek and helped him when he called. I talked him into buying a Mac and he thanked me for it always, even when his patience was on a short fuse because of some update confounding him. “I’m going to throw this thing out of the window,” he would say, exasperated. He would forward me emails asking, “Is this spam?” Yes, I taught him well! I redesigned his Orton-Gillingham website and helped him most recently publish those books in hard copy format on Amazon. Len’s precise mind made him a stickler for websites being clear and easy to navigate and railed against confusing forms and applications. He generally learned how to navigate his electronic world slowly but surely. He would call me often, excited that he figured things out all by himself.

Len loved gospel music and America’s Got Talent. He was constantly moving, going hither and thither in his car, traversing the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut for his precious antiques. He had an eye for Victorian style but was lately moving into the Arts & Crafts movement. He loved living in Fall River and hated it when he was anywhere else for any length of time. A creature of habit (aren’t we all to some extent?), Len loved doing whatever was in front of him—writing, reading, researching, teaching, socializing with old friends, and staying abreast of current political events and personalities. He was sly, wise, and funny, and sometimes predictable, but always generous and kind. I can’t imagine my world without him in it. So I won’t. He is still and always will be alive in my heart.

Next time I go shopping or whenever I eat pizza, he will be with me. Hey Len, I think it was my turn to pay!

The funeral is at Hathaway Funeral Home in Fall River on Robeson Street on Friday at 10 am. Service at Oak Grove Cemetery follows.

Discoveries in Swansa

[camgarsky4]

Stefani -- very sorry for the loss of your dear friend.

His book has been a 'must have' resource for all who are captivated by this case. When you feel up to it, it would be fascinating to hear about some of Mr. Rebello's most intriguing theories and observations about the case.

[Stefani]

His official obituary.

https://www.hathawayfunerals.com/obitua ... belloMSpEd

[Reasonwhy]

Stefani, I am so sorry for your loss. While we readers venerate Mr. Rebello for his Lizzie Borden “bible,” he was a dear, personal friend to you. I appreciated the YouTube tribute that you and Mr. Bill Pavao gave for him. Such a loss.