Joseph died peacefully, surrounded by his family, on June 3, 2013 in his 89th year. Joe was a devoted husband to the late Clare (Bernardi) and loving father to Steven (Lou Ann) of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and Paul (Valerie) of Traverse City, Michigan.
Joseph was born in Tassignano (Lucca), Italy on June 21, 1924. He immigrated to Canada in 1951 where he met his beautiful wife Clare. They were married on May 24, 1954 and raised two sons in the family home in Scarborough, Ontario where they lived for the next 56 years. Joseph was a hard working and motivated man and this lead him to start his own successful construction company.
Joseph was a man of great faith and he imparted that faith on his family. He was a great loving influence in the lives of his 7 grandchildren - Gregory, Patricia, Scott, Michael, Brian, Julia & Kevin. He was affectionately known as Papa to many families and friends from Toronto to Sault Ste. Marie to Traverse City, Michigan.
Joe loved people and loved to entertain and share all he had with those he came in contact with. He was especially fond of cooking and creating new dishes and sharing those with all who entered his home. He was a great story teller and never missed an opportunity to share the tales of his youth and experiences growing up in World War II Italy.
Joseph was a man of great moral conviction, religious beliefs, courage and love and he will be dearly missed by all he touched.
Funeral services were held in Toronto, Ontario on June 7, 2013. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Society in remembrance of his late wife Clare.