Marisa Marinelli

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful mother Marisa with her children by her side on March 30th, 2025 at the age of 92. She is now reunited in heaven with her husband Armenio, her parents, Ugo & Elina, her sister-in-laws Santina, Amelia (Renato), Guerrina (Giuseppe) & Derna (Ettore) and her many close friends & relatives.

Loving mother of Patricia and Vincenzo (Deidre) and cherished nonna of Isabella.

She will be dearly missed by her younger sister, Anna Maria in Italy, her nieces, nephews and their families as well as the many friends & extended relatives whose heart she touched both in Canada and Italy.

Marisa was born in Fano, Italy (coastal city on the Adriatic) in 1933 and lived through the Second World War and the Depression for most of her youth. She started working at the age of 14 years old to support her family. Until she left Italy in 1961 to marry her husband in Canada, Marisa worked extremely hard but that never stopped her from enjoying life. While not growing up with much & enduring a lot of hardships during the war and depression, she was always vibrant with a positive attitude & passion for life, big smile and dressed stylishly even then, going dancing with her girlfriends every Sunday at the local dance hall & breaking a lot of boys and sailors’ hearts. She never complained or lamented, she never dwelled on the past and she never had a victim complex. Marisa loved life, loved her family unconditionally and just loved people. She loved socializing, dancing, playing cards and of course, having her daily cappuccino or two. She may have had a small family but a huge circle of friends. She spent her life always putting other’s needs before her own. Very generous with her time and money, always showing up to lend a helping hand or offer support even to mere acquaintances. Regardless of the many losses and hardships endured, she was always graceful until God called her home.

One thing Marisa was not – humble. While she came across as modestly vain, it was really feeling confident in her skin - always wanting to look good for pictures, and always wearing make-up even when at home (“you never know who may show up”). The last 10 years in life, if someone would tell her that she looked beautiful, her response would be “thank you but I was born beautiful”. At times, even saying “and I will die beautiful”. This was her response to her children even up to Saturday before her passing. The undernoted two quotes by an Italian designer and actress – two of our mom’s favorite - are so apropos to sum up our mom. This one’s for you mom:

“Elegance does not catch the eye. It stays in memory” Giorgio Armani

“Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful” Sofia Loren

Marisa, our mother, nonna, sister, and friend, you have always been one classy and stylish lady, always lighting up the room with your energy and smile, and always having a zest for life right to the end. A life well-lived, while we will miss you dearly, we thank you for making our world a brighter, better place.

We know that we can’t have you but we’re happy knowing that the angels have finally got you back. Goodbye to our beautiful soul, our loving mother, nonna and our remarkable sister & friend.