Silvio Cesare Piccini

Silvio Cesare Piccini. He was born on October 16th, 1957 at St. Joe’s Hospital. He was treasured by his parents Giuseppe and Adelina and adored by his big brother Rick. He grew up in a loving family, got in little to no trouble in school…or so he told us. After school at the age of 20, he followed in his dad and uncles footsteps and worked at Stelco as a welder fabricator for 30 years.

He met some great people along the way, but his life changed for the better when he met our mom. On August 7th 1982 they were married at the ripe age of 20 and 23. To say our parents loved each other was an understatement. They cherished each other, made each other laugh, created some wonderful memories together and most importantly had 3 beautiful kids…of course saving the best for last. It has been a privilege to witness a love like theirs that has lasted over these 36 years and truly is a testament to our dads character. They have set the bar high when it comes to a loving and healthy partnership and it will be something we will try to emulate in our futures.

He was many thing to a lot of people. Husband, Dad, Brother, Son, Uncle, Friend, jungle gym, tickle monster, disciplinarian (that stare after doing something wrong could stop anyone in their tracks), mr.fixit, chauffeur, coach, teacher, confidant, the best grilled cheese maker, and most importantly my personal inspiration for cooking.

If you knew our dad you know he would do anything for the people he loved. You could call him at any point in the day and he would drop whatever he was doing to help. He was the hardest worker we knew, always going above and beyond for us 3 and mom. He worked so hard to give us everything we needed in life. It is not easy raising an autistic child, but the way my dad cared for and nurtured Brian into the wonderful and polite man he is today shows what a great role model and person he was. Nobody is perfect husband or parent, but he came pretty damn close.

He was never quick to judge and always gave people the benefit of the doubt. He was so kind to everyone and always had a big smile on his face. Even through his battle with cancer, he handled it with grace and dignity. He never complained not even when it was at its worst and fought till the very end. He has instilled these values in us that we will carry with us forever.

Now we can all agree that he was a great man, but let me tell you he had absolutely no sense of direction which is ironic because he was school bus driver and had to charter to a lot of different places. Back in my hockey days, it was dad and I on the road traveling to various arenas. We had either the Styx or savage garden cassette jamming in the car and written out directions from mom that took us step by step to the arena. However, without fail we would get lost every time. I am not exaggerating when I say this. We would have to leave an hour earlier or maybe half an hour, if we had been there before, just to make it on time.

Many of his family and friends would agree that he had a poor choice of hockey team. However, we all know who was wrong in that regard. His faith in the Bruins were unwavering even during those rebuilding years. The Bruins and the Ti-cats were his teams, black and gold forever.

To say we’ll miss our dad is an understatement. Although he may be gone from our lives, he will be remembered in the memories we keep of him and the stories we tell. I know he is not here to express this, but we know he was so grateful for all his family and friends that supported him and loved him not only over the past year, but his entire life. He was forever the selfless man, even when he got sick he was more concerned about our wellbeing rather than his own. We find comfort in knowing that he is with his parents now, and that they will be looking over him, protecting and loving him the same way the people who loved him did here on earth. It has been our greatest honour being your daughters and we will miss you forever.

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Peacefully passed away at Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice on Friday, November 2, 2018 after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Michele of 36 years and proud Dad of Brian, Victoria, and Emily. Predeceased by his parents Giuseppe and Adelina, and survived by his brother Riccardo (Rock) and his wife Angela. He will be fondly remembered by his brother and sister-in-law’s Ron and Irene Bidulka, Brian and Eileen Bidulka, and Ellen-Marie and Tim LoPresti, and all of his cherished nieces and nephews.

Silvio was a retired employee of Stelco with 30 years of service and a member of the United Steelworkers Local 1005. In his retirement, Silvio was a proud school bus driver for First Student Canada. A special thank you to Dr. Kevin Zbuk and the staff at Juravinski Cancer Centre as well as the staff at Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice for their compassion and exemplary care.

Visitation will be held at the MARLATT FUNERAL HOME “Swackhamer Chapel”, 195 King Street West, Dundas, on Tuesday, November 6th from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Prayers at the funeral home at 7:30 p.m. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 58 Sydenham Street, Dundas, on Wednesday, November 7th, 2018 at 11 a.m. Interment to follow at Resurrection Cemetery, Ancaster. Donations in his memory may be made to the Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice or the Cancer Assistance Program (CAP).