Bruno Greco

“Give me a problem and I’ll hand you a solution.” Those who knew Bruno Greco would agree that that motto accurately described him. Bruno was a man of great drive and a very original, independent thinker. For Bruno, no challenge was impossible, and just about any desired result was within his grasp. Bruno placed great trust in his intuition. Since that intuition generally led him in the right direction, who was he to doubt it.

      Bruno was born on October 6, 1934 in S. Andrea, Prov. Catanzaro, Italy. He was the son of Frank and Gerarda Greco. His childhood found him in Catanzaro, Italy where he matured into the independent person he eventually became.

      Bruno grew up with two brothers, Vince and Quinto. Bruno could be seen as being stubborn by his siblings. It was important to him that he was perceived as “right” when it came to his part in those typical family spats. However, this quality did not over power his caring for his family. This ability to balance his family, with his need to be seen as right, helped him to develop into a young adult while enjoying many good times with his family.

      During his grade school years, Bruno was a very focused and serious student who actually enjoyed the challenge of many classroom problems. He was determined to succeed, and he drew upon his gifts of trust and perseverance to provide him with a competitive edge. While his first love might have been academics, Bruno took part in soccer. Bruno delighted in projects that required planning, critical thinking and resolution.

      During high school, Bruno was relentless in his pursuit of learning, especially in those subject areas that really grabbed hold of his interests. It wasn't that he didn't put forth his best efforts in all classes, but if a subject really interested him, he would eagerly put forth extra effort to learn all he could. Bruno attended school in Italy with his favorite class being math.

      Bruno's inventive side developed as he moved into his college years. When Bruno found himself involved in an area that particularly interested him, he could organize and complete any task that was given to him and make it look as if he hadn't really needed to put forth any effort. He also pursued graduate school, earning his Draftsman/Architect Diploma.

      Bruno was loyal to his friends. He found that he was most in tune with people who had similar interests and thought about things much the way that he did. Bruno sometimes had a tendency to be critical in his friendships but he was more interested in finding out what was right in a situation rather than in being mean toward others. He never intentionally set out to hurt any of his friends. Bruno was a person who challenged others to fend for themselves and to be original in their thinking and evaluation of the outside world. Later in life, he became friends with Jesus and Belkis Corona and Joe Buckley. He was especially close to his brother Vince.

      On June 9, 1963, Bruno exchanged wedding vows with Antonietta Codispoti at The Basilica of St. Francis of Paola, Prov. Cosenza, Italy. Antonietta's sensitivity to Bruno's needs proved to be a wonderful influence on this man, who preferred to live in his “gut.” Antonietta's influence brought Bruno to a new emotional level, one that eventually enhanced all of his other gifts and abilities. Antonietta was able to help Bruno appreciate the fact that others made contributions and Bruno became better at interacting with those around him. Because of this, Bruno grew as a person.

      Bruno often neglected his own feelings in order to give to others. This was very true when it came to how he dealt with his children. He was able to hand on to each child a number of strong values. He taught them to appreciate their abilities, gave them a desire to persevere despite obstacles and set within them a drive to succeed. He had four children, two daughters, Caterina and Antonietta and two sons, Adrian and Bruno. He was also blessed with seven grandchildren, Steven, Julia, Ryan, Erica, Matthew, Lucas and Serena. They were always aware of how much Bruno loved them.

      During Bruno's professional working years, he was at his best when working independently. It became the hallmark of his performance. Bruno was generally able to refocus his drive and determination and readily work toward finding a way to get things done that was beneficial to himself and his co-workers. His primary occupation was as Brick Layer/Construction then a Restaurateur. He was a self-employed contractor for many years and then ran a family owned restaurant for 15 years .

      For Bruno, his outside interests and hobbies became another exercise in learning and mastering areas that interested him. He greatly enjoyed unraveling the "hows" and "whys" that lay behind his hobbies. Bruno was always pushing himself to learn more and to stretch his knowledge base even further. He firmly believed that the more things that he knew the more control he would have over things. His favourite pursuits were woodworking and raising chickens.

      Watching his favourite sporting events by himself was never a problem for Bruno. It allowed him to indulge in his own individual interpretation of the event. It was not uncommon for Bruno to know what the right play or move “should have been,” and he would vocally address these feelings even if there was no one around to hear them. And if there were others around, he would still state his feelings and gladly debate anyone on their opposing views. Recreational sports included playing soccer with his kids when they were young. He enjoyed following his favourite sporting events. Tops on his list was soccer.

      Bruno's skepticism was visible when he found it necessary to place too much trust in one person. This was never clearer than when it was time for him to schedule a vacation or period of time away from his regular schedule. Bruno loved the research aspects of planning a trip, but the actual process of relaxing was far more difficult. Still, he did manage to enjoy some time away. Favourite vacations included Tampa, Florida and Italy.

      Bruno was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Bruno's favourites was Mayer, a German Shepherd dog. They were best friends for 3 years. His family was rounded out by his budgies and canaries.

      Bruno Greco passed away on May 11, 2015 at Lakeridge Health after a lengthy illness in the hospital. He is survived by his wife Antonietta, his children Caterina and Adrian and their spouses, his grandchildren Steven, Matthew, Lucas, Julia, Ryan, Serena and Erica. Services were held at St. Gertrude's Roman Catholic Church. Bruno was laid to rest in Resurrection Cemetery in Whitby, Ontario.

      Bruno Greco was always drawn to what was measurable, practical and factual. He was a very competent person who expected competence from others. He could be headstrong and certain about the way things were supposed to be. He was determined in every aspect of his life and certain that he was usually right about things. He trusted his intuition over all else, even if it opposed the popular belief, and he had faith in his inner vision and speculations. He wanted to be acknowledged by others as having made a contribution to whatever he was working on. His family and friends will miss his fierce determination, relentless innovations and analytic mind. He leaves with all those who knew him many wonderful memories.

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GRECO, Bruno

After a lengthy illness, with his family by his side at Lakeridge Health Oshawa on Monday, May 11th, 2015. Dear Dad of Caterina and her husband Terry Dowdle, Adrian and his wife Sheila Greco, the late Bruno Jr. and Antonietta. Lovingly cared for by his wife Antonietta Greco. Much loved Nonno to Matthew, Lucas and Serena Dowdle, Steven, Julia, Ryan and Erica Greco. Dear brother of Vince Greco and his family. Predeceased by his parents Frank and Gerarda Greco and his brother Quinto Greco. He will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. Visitation will be held at the OSHAWA FUNERAL HOME, 847 King Street West (905-721-1234) on Thursday, May 14th from 2 – 4 and 7 – 9 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Gertrude’s Catholic Church (690 King Street East, Oshawa) on Friday, May 15th at 10:00 a.m. Entombment Resurrection Cemetery. Memorial donations to SickKids Foundation or Lakeridge Health Foundation would be appreciated.