Laura DiPillo was born on March 12, 1999 to parents Margaret Russo and Steven DiPillo. She grew up in LaConner, WA and Hatfield and Northampton, MA with her sister Leah and brother Riley.
Laura’s love for performance began at an early age. She, Leah and Riley performed puppet shows and skits for family and friends on all occasions. Visiting friends would be recruited into self made shows with costumes and silliness aplenty. As a child, Laura was a huge fan of Paintbox Children’s Theatre in Northampton MA and rarely missed a show. She loved to meet the actors and kept a collection of signed programs which started with her Paintbox favorites and eventually grew to include her Broadway favorites as well. While a student at the Williston Northampton School, Laura discovered the fun and camaraderie of working behind the scenes in tech design and stage management. She had the privilege of serving as an intern at Paintbox Theater in the summer of 2013.
Laura had an uncanny ability to attune to others’ feelings. When she was only 2 years old, Laura was aware of an infant who was crying inconsolably during a long airplane trip. She offered her prized blanket to the baby’s parents to see if it would help. As an elementary school student, she was the first to befriend the new kid or the child with special needs. As an older student, she was a vocal champion for LGBTQ students and others who felt marginalized. Her classmates remember her as a deeply engaged, charismatic and loving friend. At her memorial service, Leah and Riley compared her to a red sock that ends up in a load of white laundry and turns everything pink! Laura personified the ideals of inclusion, acceptance and unconditional love.
Laura’s commitment to those in need is reflected in countless stories of her warm, welcoming smile and wide open hugs to school newcomers and friends in distress. Her life example is the legacy we carry forward through the work of the Scarlet Sock Foundation.