Giuseppina DiReto D'Angelo

She is survived by Giuseppe, her husband of 69 years, her daughters Rina (Domenico Ranalli) and Mary (John Sabljic, deceased), grandchildren David (Tanja), Andrea (Leslie), Lorena (Ryan) and Joseph (Kirstie), and great-grandchildren Sabriina, Linnea, Alessia, Matteo and Mila. Giuseppina was also a dear sister-in-law to Tony and Maria D’Angelo.

Giuseppina is predeceased by her sons, Franco and Anthony, and siblings Orlando Di Reto (Filomena), Luigi Di Reto (Domenica), Maria DiMarino (Nicola), Giocondo Di Reto (Antonietta), Pasqualina Di Reto and Pietro Di Reto (Maria). She will be missed deeply by all of her family and paesani in Canada, the US and Italy.

Giuseppina was born January 23, 1928 in Pennadomo, a small village in the Abruzzo region of Italy. She married her husband, Giuseppe, in 1952. In 1960, she boarded an ocean liner bound for Canada with her two young daughters in search of a better life.

Settling in Guelph, Ontario, she took a job ironing men’s dress shirts at Rennie Industries Ltd., and later worked at Biltmore Hats.

Giuseppina often spoke of making difficult sacrifices so that her family wouldn’t experience the poverty she escaped. Giuseppina wanted nothing more than for her children and grandchildren to get the education she never had, chase their dreams, and raise thriving families.

She was enormously proud of the fact she helped raise each of her four grandchildren and made it her life’s mission to pass on her traditions, cooking and culture.

Giuseppina possessed no filter and often led with raw emotion. A typical visit with her could swing from pessimism to happiness all in the same breath. Then, she would fill your arms with jars of freshly made sugo, pizzelle, pasta and countless other homemade treats.

If there’s anything that can be taken away from her life, it’s that Giuseppina loved her family more than anything in this world. She fretted constantly over them and couldn’t rest without knowing exactly how everyone was doing at any given time.

Giuseppina’s family would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to the nurses, personal support workers and support staff at St. Joseph’s Health Centre for their compassion and care.

Giuseppina is resting at the Gilbert MacIntyre and Son Funeral Home, Hart Chapel, 1099 Gordon St., Guelph. A visitation will be held Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 from 1 - 3 and 5 - 7 p.m. If you wish to attend, please RSVP at the link below to reserve a time slot. Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, social distancing will be in place and masks are mandatory.

A private Funeral Mass will be held at Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate on Wednesday, May 12th, 2021 with interment at Marymount Cemetery to follow.

The funeral mass will be recorded, and a link made available the following day through the funeral home website. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Joseph’s Health Centre.