My deepest condolences to the Ciprietti family.

I heard this past Friday that Elmo passed away.  It is difficult to think of a world without Elmo.

I will miss his gregarious laugh and the humour through which he viewed most things in life.

Elmo was my friend.  He loved to share the thinkgs he loved in life - his books, his music, his librettos, etc.  But the thing that struck me most about Elmo was how much he lived life in the moment.  When I was with him, he wasn't making plans for next week, he wasn't talking about errands he needed to run, he was talking to me.  And mostly he wanted to know what was happening with me, my wife and my kids.

I first met Elmo some 35 years ago through a mutual friend.  He would take us for tours of the government buildings and the University of Toronto.  In fun and humility he would ask if we wanted to see the picture of him and John Kennedy and then show us the picture of JFK debating at U of T with a young Elmo as part of the student body watching on.  Throughout the years I have attended operas with Elmo.  He would give me the albums and librettos to go over before the opera so that I could enjoy it more.  Some of the operas were written in the Sicilian dialect, my parents’ native tongue.  Elmo would say that Sicilian was a language of its own and was one of the most beautiful languages on this planet.  Over the past several years, Elmo and I would go for lunch at San Remo’s Bakery in Etobicoke.  And of course, Elmo knew the entire family that ran the bakery – and of course, they knew him!  At our first lunch there, he made a point of introducing me to them.  This was typical Elmo.  San Remo Bakery wasn’t just a place where Elmo would pass through to have lunch – it was life itself.  The people who ran it, the wonderful pastries and that special sweet pepper stuffed bread stick were all important to Elmo.

This past November, on Elmo’s birthday, I sent him an email wishing him a happy birthday.  I did not hear back from him.  But this was not unusual.  Elmo could go months without responding to your email.  He might be in the States, in Mexico or in Europe enjoying one of his favourite operas.  Or he could just take three months before getting back to you.  Sometimes I’d see him three times in two weeks.  Sometimes I wouldn’t see him for six months or more.  That’s just the way Elmo was.  But when we got together, his eyes would twinkle, his smile would shine through his scruffy goatee, he’d call you “bello” and remind you what it meant to live life in the moment.

Arrivederci mon amico,

I have many fond memories of Elmo visiting my family when I was a boy in Etobicoke. A visit from Elmo always meant a house filled with laughter, good food and stories of past escapades. He was one of the most consistantly interesting people I have ever known. I don't think he was capable of being boring. My condolences to his family. Elmo was one of a kind and he will be missed.

My sincere condolences go to the Ciprietti family. 

Elmo was a good friend of my father's. And, I too as a child celebrated life in his presence.   He had an extraordinary zest for life.  His love of music was as grand as his spirit.
   He was always so generous to me while I was growing up.  I felt he was and always will be a part of my family.
I will miss him.

I remember Elmo from his summer visits to my friends the Mulvaneys at their log cabin overlooking Lake Huron. His first stop would always be a visit to the famous Culberts Bakery for cream puffs and other delights to share with all of us.  Along with his rich humour and clever asides, he was a much-treasured voice from the world of music, books and ideas.  His visits, for me, were memorable.

Elmo and I had many happy motor trips.....to Montreal, New York, Maine, Quebec.Thunder Bay, etc. 
with  stops along the way to enjoy music,
have a picnic, sit on a park bench and 
watch the water, etc.  I once calculatd that we averaged 35 miles an hour!

As it happened, I have been "in and out of hospital" and finally major heart 
surgery November 24th, making it difficult to keep in touch with Elmo. 

Shocking as it was to find out about his
passing on Dec. 7th, I am consoled to 
imagine him being serenaded by choirs of 
angels. yes, his own personal chorus 
performing Va Pensiero!

Elmo, Rest in peace.  As always, Georgina

While I have not known Elmo as "long" or as "well" as his many legions of friends, I have to remark on what a memorable gentleman he was, and what an impression he always made.   I met Elmo through my grandmother (Georgina Madott), and my family had the great pleasure of hosting Elmo at various parties and events over the past 25 years.  
While Elmo could certainly be extraordinary when he spoke about opera or music, he also had that rare gift of being able to speak to a child on any topic, and make that 10, 11 or 12yr old feel like the most important and adult person in the room.   
When we heard of Elmo's passing, my siblings and I all fondly remembered Elmo's many jokes, smiles and stories.  
I still proudly display the book he gave me when I started high school (1989), "The Music of Man".  Elmo's inscription to me in the book, "As you start your great adventure..."

My deepest sympathies to Elmo's entire family.   His own "adventure" was certainly most remarkable.

Elmo was one of a kind and is fondly remembered.  He was a friend of my parents from their days at St. Michael's College.  When we lived in Etobicoke, he was a frequent guest and always so interested in what everyone was doing.  I remember when I was ill at one time and he gave me some old LPs to listen to - one of 17th century harpsichord music and one of the songs of the voyageurs.  Surprising choices for a girl of 12 in 1976 - but I loved them and still have both old albums.  As my mother says . . . only Elmo!  Elmo was also the one to give my nephew Julien a nickname that has stuck - "the dauphin" - as he was born to my sister Gretta, a resident of France since 1985.  The name much amused my father, Ed, and was often used by him.

My sympathies to the Ciprietti family on the loss of the incomparable Elmo, or, as he was known to my family, Emlo (bad spelling on an Easter egg proudly presented him many years ago).

To Elmo's Family:

I extend my deepest sympathies for your loss.

Elmo was a treasured presence in the Redmond family for more than 50 years.  He was there when Ed and I were courting at St. Michael's.  He was there for Easter egg hunts with the children when we lived in Etobicoke. He was our personal expert critic of the operas we attended together at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston.  

Once he appeared at our door, out of the blue, carrying with him a huge salmon, fresh and on ice.  He had gotten it on a trip to Alaska.  When he deplaned in Toronto, he didn't know what to do with it.  He decided to bring it to the Redmond house because he thought it wouldn't fit in his oven.  He laughed his hearty laugh as he handed me the leviathan to prepare.  Well . . . it barely fit in my turkey roaster.  Its tail was sticking right out of the pan, but a few hours later we all enjoyed a fine salmon dinner and Elmo got the leftovers to take home.  .  .  Only Elmo!

I will always remember him, his jolly laugh and the joy he brought to all the Redmonds.  He will be missed.  Requiescat in pace.

I met Elmo Ciprietti when I arrived in Toronto as a graduate student more than fifty years ago.  Almost immediately I realized we shared much, especially a love of music.  I enjoyed opera before meeting Elmo.  I loved it afterwards.  We were able to enjoy a number of operas together, in Toronto, when the Metropolitan Opera company visited, at the old Met in New York (where we stuffed suggestion boxes with recommendations that opera not be sung in translation), the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, and at Glimmerglass in upstate New York, our last meeting as it turned out, where we happened to be at the same performance. 

One of the most memorable occasions for Jayne, me and Elmo was the soprano Joan Sutherland’s recital in Hart House in 1960, after which the three of us had the pleasure of meeting her.  Sutherland’s death, just two months before Elmo’s, is a coincidence worth considering.  Many of us continue to believe that death will involve a reconnection with family, old friends and acquaintances.  We can all at least imagine what this would be like, and enjoy the image of the great diva and Elmo meeting once again, so shortly after the deaths of both of them.

Our condolences to family and friends on the loss of this singular individual, whose extraordinary gifts and fascinating personality will remain firmly fixed in our memories.

Bob and Jayne Mulvaney
Columbia, South Carolina

I'm so sorry to have just learned of Elmo's death.  He was a truly unique person and personality.  I remember teasing him about his resemblence to Luciano Pavarotti, and following behind him in the Lincoln Center plaza, calling out "Maestro! Maestro!"
He loved it.

Elmo will live forever in my memories from the U of T years and afterward. He introduced me to the great world of opera and was a true friend to me and my children in the years after my husband's death. Carrie Feingold, Bellevue, Nebraska

To the Ciprietti family,

Elmo has been a dear friend of my husband Salvador since U of T days and my friend too, after I married Salvador, 46 years ago.  We will miss our opera discussions and musical evenings and his yearly visits to Valle de Bravo in Mexico in later years.

Sal did a painting of Elmo a few years back, depicting his perception of Elmo's love of opera.  We shared that interest and his profound knowledge enriched ours. If Sal recovers enough to have a planned painting exhibition, we would very much like to exhibit that painting in his memory.  

Elmo was kind enough to visit Salvador three months ago when he suffered a stroke after a cancer operation that left him without voice.  I am very grateful for his effort because he must have been very sick then.    I am happy to have been able to talk with Elmo over the phone several times during his last weeks.  

Both Salvador and I will miss him very much.  Please accept our condolences.  

Salvador and Yolanda Grimaldi
212 Hibernia St. 
Stratford, Ont.  N5A 5V5

To Rose, Mary Anne and the Ciprietti family, my deepest sympathy and condelences to all of you. My prayers and thoughts are with you during this difficult time.
Domenica Brown

There are many of us whose fond memories of St. Mike's in the fifties are inextricably linked to Elmo Ciprietti. Insight, humour and passion informed his character in those years and later guided his embrace of life itself. As fellow students, we recognized these admirable qualities; but appreciated them more and more with the passage of time. We look at a life well lived and think how fortunate we were to have had him as a friend. Wallace E. Northover (York University).

I owed Elmo a great deal, not the least of which was in introduction to opera which has enriched my life ever since. There's a little less light in the world now that he's gone.

I met Elmo when we worked on the Varsity and from time to time in Toronto in the years after that.  I vividly remember his wonderful laugh and absolute passion for opera.  My sympathy to the family.

Deepest sympathy on the passing of your family member.  We all remember spending time with him at Pangrazio and Rita's house.  My husband(father) Giovanni loved the days he ran into him there.  He really enjoyed their talks.  We hold you in our hearts and in our prayers.  Eva and Luigi Nardini, Dave and Elena Skeates and family

Mr. Ciprietti was my English teacher @ Parkdale Collegiate in Toronto,c.1966. I have a fond memory of his presenting & discussing "The Cask of Amontillado" A great teacher.My sincere condolences to his family.

To Paul Rose  and the Ciprietti familymy prayers condolencesand sympathy on the passing of their brother and my old friend Elmo.Joseph Grimaldi 23 Ennerdale Rd Toronto ON M6E 4C2

Deepest sympathy.  A true loss for the arts.

Dear Paul, Rosie and families.  My sincerest condolences on the passing of Elmo.  I remember with fondness the times I saw Elmo at Zio Pancrazio's house.  I will always remember his warmth and humour.

OBITUARY

Elmo Ciprietti

10 November, 1938 – 7 December, 2010

Markey-Dermody Funeral Home

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