Angela Gentile Perna

November 5th, 1929 – October 7th, 2025

It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of our mother Angela (Matilda) Perna on October 7th 2025 at Pleasant Meadow Manor in Norwood, Ontario. She was approaching her 96th birthday on November 5th. Mom was the quintessential “Italian Mamma” who dedicated her life to working, cooking and cleaning for her family.

In 1953 they came from tiny towns Sant’ Ippolito for Mom and Carricchio for Dad (near Cosenza) Italy. They came to Canada with nothing but a dream of better opportunities for life and work.

She is survived by daughter Lucy, son Frank, and his partner Roxane. Pre-deased by husband Giuseppi, siblings Frank (Rosa) Gentile, Pierino (Livia) Gentile, Assunta (Guido) Sicoli, Graziella Borelli and Ida Rizzuto.

A Funeral Mass will be held for both Angela and Giuseppi on March 14th 2026, at 11am at St Catherine of Siena Church, 620 Rymal Road East, Hamilton, Ontario. In memory of both Mom and Dad we will have a gathering for relatives and friends after the Mass at the church hall from 12noon to 2:30 pm. Refreshments will be served. We hope you can attend to share some fond memories with us.

Memories

In Italy, Mom and her sisters were famous for their exceptional embroidery skills and she brought those skills with her. Sewing, knitting, embroidery, crotchet she always had a project or a sewing needle in her hands.

Anyone who visited us at our home would be blown away by the level of generosity as she would lay out food and drink in abundance with the chant “Mangia! Mangia!” (Eat! Eat!) She was a phenomenon of all things Italian, the tomato sauce, gardening, assisting Dad with the making of the sausages, prosciutto and cooking the finest lasagne ever, homemade pasta, cannelloni all from scratch.

For several years she worked full-time but prepared meals ahead for us and Dad. They worked alternating shifts at work so one of them would always be home for us. Mom was also smart in handling financial issues for the family. She was a tough negotiator and could bargain with the best to get a good deal on anything.

At Christmas we would enjoy all the homemade Italian baked sweets. Christmas was also special as we would all participate in the cooking. The basement fish fry of shrimp, calamari, bacala, white fish, skate and trout. A feast! Accompanied by fried pitoli (eggplant and zucchini fritters) You couldn’t eat just one. Every occasion, every holiday had it’s traditions and special foods.

We think fondly of the many family feasts and celebrations on weekends when the cousins would play together. The women did most of the cooking bringing out endless courses of food just like an Italian wedding. Men would bring their homemade wine or soppressatas to share and critique each others’ efforts. After dinner the elders would sing, play cards, drink homemade wine, crack nuts and tell jokes and stories. It was a great childhood. There was much love and laughter.

Mom was a cleaning machine (for us to get things “Angela clean” was an intimidating task) and wouldn’t stop until evening when she would sit down and watch the Spanish soap operas, which she loved or read one of her romance novels. In English! She taught herself to read and write in English.

We set up a little garden for Mom and Dad at their long term care home. They both enjoyed tending and watching it grow. Lately she would enjoy collecting tomatoes and cucumbers from this little garden and one of her few joys in her later years was to hold a sprig of basil. The scent would carry her away.

In their twilight years they were unable to do the things they loved to do or eat their own food in the care home. Once a week we would would bring them a home cooked Italian meal like chicken parmigiana for example which she actually ate and appreciated. She had never eaten our food before. This gave me great pride and I wear it like a badge of honour. We tried to pay back a little of the legacy of their sacrifice for family.

Mom has gone to join Dad who passed away in April. We hope they are together and at peace now.

Frank and Lucy