Gina Cannata

Our Mom, Gina Cannata, loved her family and her friends. She loved her garden, and above all, she loved cooking things from her garden for family and friends. She passed away peacefully in hospice surrounded by family on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. She was 91.

Gina was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother and a friend to many. She loved to tell stories and she loved to hear the stories her family and friends shared. In this way she was the glue that connected so many of us. We mourn her passing and are grateful for the light and laughter she brought to our lives.

Born in Celico, a small town in Calabria, Italy, on November 10, 1934 to parents Carmine and Saveria Falcone, Gina was the second of five children.

She now goes to join her beloved husband of 68 years, Giovanni Cannata, who predeceased her in 2025. She is survived by her son Lui Cannata (Lyn); her daughter Rosetta Wilkie (Bill); her grandson Johnathan Cannata (Amanda), her granddaughter Carly Da Silva (Eduardo) and her four great-granddaughters, Isabella and Anajulia Cannata, and Harper and Giorgia Da Silva.

While she could be the outgoing life of the party, Gina knew what was most important to her and that was her family. Nothing made her happier than spending time with her children, her grandchildren and especially her four great-granddaughters. Even in her later years when she had to move to an independent living retirement home, her best days were the ones when family joined her on the outside patio on a sunny day, or inside listening to music in the home’s lounge area.

Gina was a hard worker who grew up cooking and taking care of a growing family in Italy. She was in her late 20s when her brother Mario offered to sponsor her family so they could emigrate to Canada in 1961. Gina and Giovanni and their young son Lui caught a ship out of Naples and several weeks later they were in Vancouver.

While Giovanni found work as a shoemaker, Gina took care of their home, their garden and their own growing family. In 1966, they welcomed a daughter Rosetta.

They moved a few times to bigger homes, but always stayed in east Vancouver, so that Gina was close not only to family, but to a growing circle of friends.

Gina was one of those people who made friends wherever she went. And she hung onto those friendships for decades. Her secret was simple. She cared about people. She told you her stories, and was equally interested in hearing yours. You could tell her your triumphs and she was happy for you, you could tell her your sorrows, and she empathized with you. She loved all the stories that make up a life. And throughout it all, she loved to cook for people and feed them. It was how she showed you she cared.

A life of duty and service to family was important to her. In her final days, we all told her how much we loved her and assured her that she had fulfilled every commitment she’d ever made and now could go in peace.

A service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, 1 p.m. in the Chapel at Ocean View Funeral Home, 4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby, with an internment to follow in the Old Abbey Mausoleum.