Rino Gazzola

Born in 1935 In Riese Pio X. The home of Pope Pius the 10th. Grew up through the second world war, and lost a few family members because of it. When he was old enough, he went to Switzerland and worked on a ranch there, to earn enough money to emigrate to Canada in 1954.

He landed in Montreal, went to Immigration, and got a job the next day working in construction.

He did that for a while, until he landed a job on the CPR train, that travelled across Canada.

He wound up settling in Winnipeg.

He was there for 10 months, when on his first winter there he nearly froze his ears off. That was enough for him to leave, and finally settling down in Vancouver, while still working for the CPR.

Once in Vancouver he transferred to the CPR Ferries. While working there he met my mom, (Paula), and got married. I, Mark Gazzola, came along in 1958. Rino quit the CPR, and went into Structural steel construction, which wound him up working on the second narrows bridge. However the day of the tragic collapse, he didn’t go into work that day. My mom was an RN, and specialized in home care, so an opportunity came along to get work in Seattle working on the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge over lake Washington, where one of my mom’s clients lived. In order for my dad to work in the US he had to get a guarantee from someone who would vouch for him.

My mom’s client put up an $80 K bond so he could work there.

That turned out to be a very big money maker for him, until Uncle Sam came knocking wanting him to join the army.

That wasn’t going to happen, so we came back to Canada. My dad got a job working for the City of Vancouver, Water Works Department, and worked there till the late 60’s. My mom passed in 1968, so he opened an electronics store on West Broadway, did well with it, and sold the business around 1970.

He then went into Heavy machinery operation, driving big bulldozers and excavation machinery, for about a year and a half.

That is when he got a job working for Seaspan working on tugs up the coast, the Harbour, and River.

He worked there until he retired in 1996.

In 1975 he met my second mom, (Marie), and they moved out to Surrey, and that is where they have stayed till this day. Marie passed in 2019, so he has been on his own since then. His one desire was to never having to go into a home, and that is the way things worked out.