Ashley & Joe Russo
Bethlehem, PA
Where are you from?
Ashley: I am from Somerset County, New Jersey.
Joe: I am from Colonia, New Jersey.
How did you meet?
Ashley: Our families were friends through the local school and church and knew each other quite well. Joe’s father thought we should meet, and the families were supportive of the idea. But Joe is four years older and was a freshman in college, and I wasn’t in high school yet!
Joe: Ashley went to the same school as my younger siblings, and she really was a local celebrity. She was very beautiful and smart.
Ashley: Joe’s sister had shown me a picture of him from his senior prom, and I was obsessed with him. But when we first met, it was Field Day at my grammar school, and I was wearing ribbons in my hair and green face paint. I was mortified! We started dating when I was in high school. Then I went to NYU, and Joe was in medical school in Chicago, so we spent five years long-distance. We were both very focused on our studies and careers. Once Joe was in his residency, we moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Tell me about your kids!
Ashley: Our son, Nolan, is twenty-two and a senior at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. He’s studying English and history and hoping to go to law school. And our daughter, Renna, is twenty-one. She’s a senior at Pace University in New York City studying psychology.
When did you first visit Kiawah?
Joe: I came on a golf trip in 2010 and went home really excited about it. A few years later, some very good friends of ours, Robin and Walter Wolak, invited us down. We came several years in a row. Ashley fell in love with the Island, and that was it.
Ashley: Robin and Walter were incredible hosts and such advocates for Kiawah. After our third visit, we were at a party together in Bethlehem, and Robin asked me when we were going to buy a house on Kiawah. I told her to find me one! That was on a Friday night. The next morning at 8:07, she sent me the listing for this house. By that evening, we had an accepted offer. We were on our way to Portugal at the time and signed all the paperwork from Newark Airport.
What are your favorite things to do on the Island?
Joe: I spend mornings at The Sports Pavilion at Cassique. I have my coffee and read the newspaper, and then I work out. And I love a martini at The Oyster Bar at River Course.And Cassique and River [Course] consistently blow me away in quality of play and hospitality.
Ashley: I’m a huge fan of Sasanqua Spa. It’s unbelievable—just the next level of unwinding. I love lunch at Marsh House. The view is indescribable—it feels like the Serengeti. And I love a bike ride on the beach.
How would you describe the community?
Ashley: We’ve been impressed with how philanthropic the community is. Giving back to our community is very important to us. We work a lot with our United Way in Bethlehem, and I am already connected to the executive director here.
Tell me about your haircut!
Ashley: About a year ago, I committed to shaving my head for St. Baldrick’s Foundation for pediatric cancer research. It’s been an amazing journey for our family—we’ve raised about a quarter of a million dollars. In September, I shaved my head in front of two hundred people. It’s given me the opportunity to talk about the cause and the mission of St. Baldrick’s.
What about Kiawah draws you in?
Ashley: It is so peaceful. I feel like I can take a deep breath here. So much in our lives is chaotic, and here we can really pause and let go of all of that.
Joe: I feel the same way. I also love being so close to Charleston. The history there is incredible. We try to go once a week if we can.
Ashley: And we fall in love with it all over again every time someone comes to visit. I don’t want anyone to miss Marsh House or sunset at River Course. And now we have The Cape Club! It brings me so much joy to share this place.