My father is Giovanni.  Known to most as John.  The name suggested by a port authority in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who thought Giovanni Piasentin sounded a little long.  Decades later, he affectionately became known as Pops.

Pops is a simple man.  Content with staying home over vacationing abroad. Retirement fun being time with grandchildren, gardening, garage sales, Court TV, and having a beer in the garage with Mitch Albom or WWJ news radio shows.  In the colder months, his evening program was a homemade meal with my Mom followed by coffee time with Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy on TV.  Fortunately, I have shared many coffee times with Pops over the years where we critiqued game show contestants like Siskel and Ebert.       

Pops is relatable across generations.  For example, my daughter, Maria suggested we play a song at the wake that Pops would sing to when picking her up from school.  Then we thought it would be in poor taste, because it was Bruno Mars Locked Out Of Heaven.           

Pops is a funny man.  A man loving to make people laugh even if at his own expense; such as trying to say Engelbert Humperdinck or through silly antics for childrenand adults young at heart. 

Pops is talented.  He was able to play a cookie sheet like a percussion instrument by using his fingers like piano keys.  It's much more difficult to perform and interesting to witness than I can explain here.  When I asked Pops how he learned this he said, It was while he was bored and trying to kill time.    

Pops is a closet sentimentalist.  It wasn't until recent years that my daughter, Becca got Pops to say love you out loud.  Until then, he used to return the sentiment with a happy, highly non-verbal response.  On a hospital visit in March 2017, Pops made a special point to clarify with only Becca in the room that, I love you even if I don't say it.  As a child I once asked Pops why he hadn't gone to visit relatives in Italy much.  He said, Because at some point you have to say goodbye.  One of my fondest closet sentimentalist act memories was the morning of my wedding.  I was living with my parents and since age 18 Pops and I would unofficially eat breakfast at the same time.  Cereal and yes  coffee.  That morning's breakfast was the same as the past 9 years (yesI lived with my parents until age 27  haha funny).  Pops walked up to refill my coffee and while staring down at the mug as it poured said, Guess this is our last breakfast together.     

Pops is strong.  One Fourth of July, our car engine stopped approximately a quarter of the way up the Ambassador Bridge heading to Canada.  The traffic was bumper-to-bumper and there was nowhere to pull over.  So, Pops pushed the car over the bridge with his anxious wife and children inside.  Nobody offered to help.  Not even the bridge authority who approached the car to ask for his citizenship with a tone as if Pops was trying to sneak into another country... by pushing as stalled car over a bridge - duh. 

Pops is hard working.  When I was between ages 12 and 18, Pops would bring me to help in on weekend masonry jobs.  Most jobs were chimney repairs.  I found it ironic that he would bring and pay his son who was scared of heights to help repair chimneys on pitched roofs.  But, he must have seen value there that I couldn't grasp.  These jobs were often in the hot summer and after he had put in 40 or more hours of weekly masonry work.  The part I enjoyed most was when we would sit on the open tailgate of his truck or overturned, 5-gallon buckets for coffee time or lunch.  I suppose my first coffee time with Pops was at 12 year old.

Pops is a life saver.  As a young man in Italy, he rescued a girl who had fallen head first into a barrel of water.  As a father, he rescued me from falling head first into a hole with water in the bottom for a tree he was planting.  He said when returning to the backyard he could see my legs kicking out the top of that hole.  He ran over, grabbed my ankles, and pulled me out.

Pops is kind.  Pops was always proud he had no outstanding grudges to settle and that his record was clean regarding fist fighting.  Pops loved to compliment people.  In addition to words, his compliments were made with the palm of his hand placed on the person's shoulder or forearm.  I didn't realize how much his approach rubbed off on me.  Especially, after touching the HR Executive Director's shoulder at work during a compliment after HR training advised to avoid touching coworkers at all. 

Pops is a family man.  Not a person who knows him would disagree.  But, I have a concise example to share regardless.  In one of his hospital stretches I saw him look his doctor straight in the eye and ask, Is this what it's like to die?  That was done so without a tear or break in his voice.  On a visit a couple of days later he said regarding my brother and I, You boys turned out goodI appreciate that. His eyes welled with tears and voice broke up.  I responded, It's because we learned from the best!       
Pops is and always will be from my perspective.  Fore he lives in my heart where I get a warm sensation from his photos and videos clips.  And he is forever in my mind that stocked with vivid memories.

In the next couple of days, I will seek out a special, reflective place for Pops and I to have coffee time in this new normal.

With deepest love,

Jerry Piasentin

My father is Giovanni.  Known to most as John.  The name suggested by a port authority in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who thought Giovanni Piasentin sounded a little long.  Decades later, he affectionately became known as Pops.

Pops is a simple man.  Content with staying home over vacationing abroad. Retirement fun being time with grandchildren, gardening, garage sales, Court TV, and having a beer in the garage with Mitch Albom or WWJ news radio shows.  In the colder months, his evening program was a homemade meal with my Mom followed by coffee time with Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy on TV.  Fortunately, I have shared many coffee times with Pops over the years where we critiqued game show contestants like Siskel and Ebert.       

Pops is relatable across generations.  For example, my daughter, Maria suggested we play a song at his wake that Pops would sing to when picking her up from school.  Then we thought it would be in poor taste, because it was Bruno Mars Locked Out Of Heaven.           

Pops is a funny man.  A man loving to make people laugh even if at his own expense; such as him trying to say Engelbert Humperdinck or through silly antics for childrenand adults young at heart. 

Pops is talented.  He was able to play a cookie sheet like a percussion instrument by using his fingers like piano keys.  It's much more difficult to perform and interesting to witness than I can explain here.  When I asked Pops how he learned this he said, It was while he was bored and trying to kill time.    

Pops is a closet sentimentalist.  It wasn't until recent years that my daughter, Becca got Pops to say love you out loud.  Until then, he used to return the sentiment with a happy, highly non-verbal response.  On a hospital visit in March 2017, Pops made a special point to clarify with only Becca in the room that, I love you even if I don't say it.  As a child I one asked Pops why he hadn't gone to visit relatives in Italy much.  He said, Because at some point you have to say goodbye.  One of my fondest closet sentimentalist act memories was the morning of my wedding.  I was living with my parents and since age 18 Pops and I would unofficially eat breakfast at the same time.  Cereal and yes  coffee.  That morning's breakfast was the same as the past 9 years (yesI lived with my parents until age 27  haha funny).  Pops walked up to refill my coffee and while staring down at the mug as it poured said, Guess this is our last breakfast together.     

Pops is strong.  One Fourth of July, our car engine stopped approximately a quarter of the way up the Ambassador Bridge heading to Canada.  The traffic was bumper-to-bumper and there was nowhere to pull over.  So, Pops pushed the car over the bridge with his anxious wife and children inside.  Nobody offered to help.  Not even the bridge authority who approached the car to ask for his citizenship with a tone as if Pops was trying to sneak into another country... by pushing as stalled car over a bridge - duh. 

Pops is hard working.  When I was between ages 12 and 18, Pops would bring me to help on weekend masonry jobs.  Most jobs were chimney repairs.  I found it ironic that he would bring and pay his son who was scared of heights to help repair chimneys on pitched roofs.  But, he must have seen value there that I couldn't grasp.  These jobs were often in the hot summer and after he had put in 40 or more hours of weekly masonry work.  The part I enjoyed was when we would sit on the open tailgate of his truck or on overturned 5-gallon buckets for coffee time or lunch.  I suppose my first coffee time with Pops was at 12 years old.

Pops is a life saver.  As a young man in Italy, he rescued a girl who had fallen head first into a barrel of water.  As a father, he rescued me from falling head first into a hole with water in the bottom for a tree he was planting.  He said when returning to the backyard he could see my legs kicking out the top of that hole.  He ran over, grabbed my ankles, and pulled me out.

Pops is kind.  Pops was always proud he had no outstanding grudges to settle and that his record was clean regarding fist fighting.  Pops loved to compliment people.  Besides words his compliments were said with the palm of his hand placed on the person's shoulder or forearm.  I didn't realize how much his approach rubbed off on me.  Especially, after touching the HR Executive Director's shoulder at work on paying her a compliment after training received advised it best no to touch coworkers at all. 

Pops is a family man.  Not a person who knows him would disagree.  But, I have a concise example to share regardless.  In one of his hospital stretches I saw him look his doctor straight in the eye and ask, Is this what it's like to die?  That was done so without a tear or break in his voice.  On a visit a couple of days later he said regarding my brother and I, You boys turned out goodI appreciate that. His eyes welled with tears and voice broke up.  I told him, It's because we learned from the best!       

Pops is and always will be from my perspective.  Fore he lives in my heart where I get a warm sensation from his photos and videos clips.  And he is forever in my mind that is stocked with vivid memories.

In the next couple of days, I will seek out a special, reflective place for Pops and I to have coffee time in this new normal.

With deepest love,

Jerry Piasentin

John was such a great guy. Great family man, hard worker and kind to everyone. Everyone will miss him. Love to his family.
Michael and Diana Schiavi

Dear Julia and Family,
     What a guy!  We always enjoyed his company and will miss him.  Our thoughts are with you and the family.  Love-  Smith Family:  Bill, Kate, Pat and Laurie

Dear John and Family- What a beautiful picture.  Even though I didn't know your father and only met him a couple times, I know he was just as beautiful inside as out!  My heart breaks for you as having gone through what you are (loss of a parent) only a short year ago.  Grieve however you need to and for as long as you need.  Keep feeling the love and support of your family and friends at every moment you need to be held.  Still not a day goes by that I don't think of my mom.  I probably think about her more now than when she was with us, which is a wonderful thing as she did not want to be forgotten.  Your dad will be in your dreams and that will be a blessing as it will feel like you've had time with him again.  I deeply feel for you, your family and quite honestly your mom especially.
I'm sorry our parents didn't live another 20 years so they could become 'old people' but unfortunately this comes down to questions we can't answer AND we are THANKFUL and LUCKY for the amount of time we have had with them!
God Bless You ALL- You are on our mind, in our prayers and heart- Marla and Ward Family
Huge Hugs- I'll be there to give them in person Friday

OBITUARIO

Giovanni "John" Piasentin

4 abril, 1938 – 20 marzo, 2017

Harry J Will Funeral Homes

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