Eleonora Rosa Guizzetti

Eleonora was born in Manoppello, Abruzzo, Italy, and came to Canada in 1955. Hers was not the usual immigrant journey. She travelled to Toronto at her father’s wish, to join a brother he had never met, separated as they were by the years between them. She took night courses in Toronto to train as a bookkeeper, a skill that served her well in the years that followed: she kept the books for her husband’s business by night and raised their children by day.

Eleonora is now reunited with her loving and devoted husband, Santo, just in time for their 63rd anniversary. Together they raised three children: Daniele, Emma and Andrea, and she was a devoted Mother-in-law to Maria and Marianne. Intelligent, elegant and graceful, she loved classical music and opera, read widely, and could hold her own in any room, whether the subject was the news of the day or the history of the ancient world. She was a proud grandmother to Matthew (Sonia), David (Athena), Lucas (Katherine), Emma (Mark), Andrew (Danielle), Alexandra, Matthew, Lauren (Brandon), Cristina and David, and a proud great-grandmother to Chase, Riley, William, Axel, Ethan, Eleonora and James. Her greatest joy was cooking for them and spending unhurried time in their company. She passed on her wisdom and her life lessons in a way that left them feeling unconditionally loved and quietly encouraged, and her story will remain a source of strength as they reach for their own dreams. Proficient in the technology of the day, she traded text messages with her grandchildren and was their most enthusiastic supporter on Instagram.

Eleonora is also survived by her brother, Tony Nubile, her sister, Rosemary Galletti, her brothers-in-law, Paolo Galletti and Giulio Guizzetti, and her sister-in-law, Dina Guizzetti, along with many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

The family is grateful for the exceptional care Eleonora received at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, for her personal caregiver, Geegee Reducto, and for the nurses and team on the palliative floor at Princess Margaret, whose kindness never wavered. A special thank you to the doctors who attended to her through two years of illness.

Friends and family will be received on Friday, September 25, 2026 from 3 to 8 p.m. at the KaneJerrett Funeral Home (6191 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M2M 4K4, south of Steeles).

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Paschal Baylon Roman Catholic Church (92 Steeles Avenue West, Thornhill, Ontario), with Entombment to follow at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre or Campfire Circle would be gratefully received.