Yolanda Cellucci, whose glittery star shone far beyond Waltham, dies at 91

Yolanda Cellucci, the fashion entrepreneur and philanthropist, died in her sleep at home on Monday, Sept. 7,  her daughter Sondra Damirjian said. She was 91.

For decades, Cellucci’s eponymous three-story bridal emporium presided over Waverly Oaks Road, its display windows filled with sumptuous satin gowns and enough rhinestones to blind the traffic passing by. After she closed the store in 2009, Yolanda continued to grace countless Waltham fundraisers and festivals. A long-time stalwart of the Waltham Lions Club, she worked the food truck, handing out hot dogs, an apron over her signature white outfits, platinum hair piled high, her wrists and neck encrusted with sparkling jewels. 

Often seen in her prized white Excalibur with a vanity plate “YOLANDA”, Cellucci built a fashion brand that turned Waltham into a go-to destination for generations of brides, beauty queens and fashionistas. Her woman-built, family-run enterprise became a pillar of Waltham’s civic life.

All that glitters

Cellucci stumbled into her talent for design as a teenager. Unable to afford a prom dress, she crafted a gown with a silver sequined bodice and flowing skirt of tulle purchased for 10 cents a yard. Her efforts earned her the prom queen title as she outshone rivals in pricey store-bought dresses. “It taught me something that it wasn’t the price; it was about the style,” she recalled in a 2024 interview with Boston Man magazine. “It was the glitter. I loved glitter from that day on.” 

Yolanda married Daniel Cellucci, a plumbing contractor, and during a period of financial stress, she experienced hair loss. Unhappy with the available wigs, she styled her own and launched a wig shop in 1968 in Belmont. As her business grew, her entrepreneurial gears started turning. She added dresses and a hair salon. Clients despondent over hair loss would come in and receive a total makeover. 

The business moved to Waltham in 1973, where she perfected her talent for designing bridal gowns. She constantly sought to serve her customers, adding a fashion boutique, hair salon, spa, cafe and event center, making Yolanda’s a wrap-around service for everything women needed for their special day. 

Boston brides-to-be made pilgrimages to Yolanda’s. Her admirers included celebrities such as Fran Drescher, Natalie Cole and Tip O’Neill. Her story was featured on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” At its peak, the business employed 60 workers. 

Cellucci designed dresses for Waltham Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy and her mother when McCarthy was first inaugurated in 2004. The dresses are on display in the Yolanda room of the City Hall Museum alongside several other Yolanda originals. 

A second chapter second to none 

Cellucci closed her flagship store in 2009, after 36 years. But she was hardly done. She kept an online store and hosted a show, “Yolanda: Style & Glamour,” on WCAC. She served as a personal shopper for Neiman Marcus. 

In 2018, the family suffered a tragic loss when Cellucci’s daughter Linda Cole died from esophageal cancer. Together with Linda’s son, Dimitri Petrosian, Cellucci founded the Our Girl Linda Foundation in honor of Cole and organized a fundraiser to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The renowned hospital treats all patients regardless of ability to pay. She also somehow found time to write four children’s books about “Lindy Lou,” based on her late daughter.

Cellucci loved to give back. Her Sept. 19, 2024, birthday gala raised more than $90,000 for five local charities: Friends of the Waltham Senior Citizens, Middlesex Human Services Agency, Our Girl Linda Foundation, Waltham Lions Club and Salvation Army. Cellucci also put in countless hours as a volunteer — always with impeccable hair and makeup, typically in white but sometimes sporting a bedazzled version of the event T-shirt. The Salvation Army presented her with the Al MacLeod Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2024. 

“Yolanda was active in the Lions Club and was at our most recent events, notably our annual backpack giveaway at the Salvation Army last month,” said Bill Hanley, president of the club. “She will be missed.” 

On Saturday Aug. 29, “Yolanda was at the Common Block Party working with the Lions,” McCarthy recalled. “I said to Yolanda that night, ‘Yolanda you are our Dolly!’ Her passing is a great loss for everyone, her family, her friends, her colleagues and the city of Waltham.”

“Family was everything to her”

Cellucci was born Yolanda M. DiDuca in Newton in 1935. Her family moved to Waltham, where she grew up. She married Daniel B. Cellucci in 1956. The couple settled in Waltham and spent 65 years together until his death from cancer in 2021. Their daughter Linda Cole Petrosian, a model, died in 2018.

Cellucci is survived by daughter Sondra Damirjian, owner of Sondra Celli designs in Waltham, grandchildren Milan George, Alec Petrosian and Dimitri Petrosian; and four adored great-grandchildren.

For all her worldly accomplishments, Cellucci cared most deeply about her family, said Damirjian. “She took care of everyone,” she said. “The freezer was filled with lasagnas. She was an unbelievable grandmother and great-grandmother. She would go sledding with them — in an all-white snowsuit.” 

Her papers and gowns are in the Peabody-Essex Museum. The City Hall Museum in Waltham displays three of her gowns along with the suits she designed for the mayoral inauguration.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. 

Here is NBC10’s 2024 feature about Yolanda Cellucci.