Vittorio Zepedeo

Vittorio Zepedeo 1934 – 2024

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Vittorio Zepedeo at the age of 89. Vittorio was a hard-working man dedicated to his family whom he loved very much. This devotion cast him on a journey to help his family seek the best future possible and so he came to North Vancouver in 1967 from his birthplace in Sepino, Italy. His first year in Canada was spent working on the Alaskan Highway and later worked in the construction industry before settling into a long-standing career with the District of North Vancouver, starting as a labourer, then truck driver and backhoe operator before becoming a parks board supervisor, where he worked on a number of projects large and small, enabling him to apply his many skills and talents; these can be seen in two notable accomplishments for everyone to enjoy to this day: the steep stairs at the edge of the cliff at the 30-foot pool in Lynn Valley Canyon park as well as the building of Parkgate Park commemorated by a plaque in his honour found at the entrance of the park on a large excavated rock. Indeed, he was the rock of the family always available to lend a hand – handy with almost anything: construction, plumbing, building rock walls, fixing things; whatever was needed Vittorio was there. He loved gardening, growing and grafting fruit trees, especially fig trees that people would come pick up from him every year. But perhaps the greatest gift he had was playing the concertina (organetto as it’s known in Italian) from the time he was a little boy. This gift was evident in the fact that he didn’t need to be taught how to play, he simply heard a tune played once and then would not only be able to play it back but would often improve on the sequence and made it his own. The organetto became a metaphor for his life: jovial and cheerful yet with twists and turns, with highs and low tones, yet always embracing all that wanted to be revealed in the playful moment in the gathering place he and his concertina was able to create—whether at home with immediate family or at weddings, birthdays and other celebrations—he played with passion and joy.

Vittorio is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Pierina, his son Giuseppe (Rina) and daughter Cristina (Salvatore) and his grand-children whom he adored: Natalie (Trent), Julia (Eric), Stephanie, Francesco and Vincent. He is also survived by his sister Antonietta and his brother Angelo, sister-in-law Angelina as well as many nephews and cousins.

Thank you, Vittorio, for the love, support, dedication, passion and commitment you have always shown your family. You have indeed been a rock of strength in our lives and you will be deeply missed. We take comfort in knowing that your loyalty and passion for us as a family will always be with us and even more so now that you are with us in Spirit.

The family thanks Dr. Kevin McLeod who cared for Vittorio in the most compassionate way possible as well as the amazing doctors and nurses from the Palliative Care Team at Lions Gate Hospital. Vigil and prayers will be held on Wednesday, March 6th, starting at 6:30 PM, followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 AM, March 7th. Both events will be celebrated at Holy Trinity Church, 2725 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, with entombment to follow at the Abbey Mausoleum, Ocean View Burial Park, 4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby. In lieu of flowers, kindly donate, in Vittorio’s name, to the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, Palliative Care.