William “Billy” Aiello, a supporter and board member of the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ), passed away on Jan. 30. Aiello was 47.
Aiello, an active member of the repair industry for more than 20 years, joined the AASP/NJ board in September 2017. He spent most of his career at Lee’s Auto Body in Avenel, N.J., and most recently worked at Ultimate Collision in Edison, N.J.
AASP/NJ called Aiello “a dear friend.”
“Billy had the passion for the industry,” AASP/NJ President and former colleague Jerry McNee said. “He wanted to be better and learn as much as he possibly could.”
Aiello and his wife, Kara, lived in South Plainfield, N.J., in a house that they built together, with their daughter, Brooke. Outside of the shop, he enjoyed a wide range of music and movies, going to concerts and seeing his favorite sports teams – the New Jersey Devils and the New York Mets – play.
“Quite honestly, we all need to take a look at what he wanted to do,” McNee said. “Everybody needs to have that drive and enthusiasm that Billy had. He always wanted as much education as he could get, he wanted to learn as much as he could – he was like a sponge. He’d take the information in, and he was looking to put it to good use.”
AASP/NJ Treasurer Tom Elder called Aiello “an unbelievable advocate of the auto body industry.”
“He was quite a family man, and just an unbelievable person,” Elder said. “I really developed a nice friendship with him over the last couple of years, and he represented for me everything I look for in a young and rising person in our industry.”
AASP/NJ Executive Director Charles Bryant added: “It breaks my heart to see someone like Billy, so full of life with so much to offer … Billy was witty, funny and quick to make friends, as well as full of knowledge about the collision industry. Those in the industry that knew Billy will miss him dearly on many levels.”
Aiello is survived by his wife, Kara Aiello; his daughter, Brooke; his parents, Phil and Rae Aiello; his sister, Dana Clayton, and her husband, Robert; his sister, Patty Aiello; son, Billy Aiello Jr.; grandmothers, Pat West and Juanita Aiello; his uncle, Neal, and aunt, Mare Aiello; the Van Woeart and Parisio families; nieces and nephew, Brianna, Justin and Sofia Clayton and Gianna Aiello; father and mother-in-law, Michael and Hala Kaskiw; sister-in-law, Kelli Kaskiew; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
