Local pizza shop owner dies of COVID-19 on Christmas Eve

A popular local restaurant owner has lost his battle with COVID-19.

61-year-old Steve Balasco, co-owner of Balasco’s Pizzeria on Market Street in Warren, RI for over 30 years, passed away on Christmas Eve after battling the virus.

Balasco was on a ventilator in the ICU at Rhode Island Hospital after contracting the virus a few weeks ago which led to COVID pneumonia.

Condolences and memories began pouring in on social media when word of Balasco’s passing began to spread. Balasco was described as a great and caring human being that cared deeply for his community.

The Balasco Strong Campaign: Spread Kindness & Love Facebook page was recently created to encourage people to do a random act of kindness in Steve’s name as he was known for giving back to the community and having a huge heart.

To be a part of the campaign, you pick up a #BalascoStrong card at some of Steve’s favorite places (Delekta’s, Rod’s Grille, Cafe Water Street, Balasco’s Pizza, East Bay Printing, or Market Street Pub) and go out and perform an act of kindness and love. You then hand the card off to the recipient of this act of kindness and encourage them to pass it along. You come back to the page and post pictures and stories connected to your act of kindness and love.

In addition to the campaign in Steve’s honor, as of this writing, a GoFundMe page that was created to help with expenses had topped $26,000.