PASSINGS

Marisa Bellisario; Former President of Olivetti Corp.

Marisa Bellisario, believed to be in her early 50s, who rescued the giant Italtel telecommunications firm from the brink of collapse. Ms. Bellisario was appointed managing director and chief executive officer of the state-owned Italtel group in 1981. When she took over, losses were piling up by more than $215 million a year. She cut those losses in half in 1982 and then returned the firm to profitability, where it has remained. Before joining Italtel, Ms. Bellisario was president and chief executive officer of Olivetti Corp. of America. She frequently worked 12-hour days, but refused to work weekends so she could spend time with her husband. “Maybe I can show young girls that you can make it and still be a normal woman, with normal attitudes toward your family or husband,” she once said. Her autobiography is “Woman and Top Manager.” In Turin, Italy, on Thursday of cancer.