Mrs. Arcangela Gianfelice

Il mio pensare e` una chiavina D’oro.

Piccola ma chiude un gran tesoro:

E Croce ed e` Croce di “Gesu”

Quando l’abbraccio non la sento piu`

Non ho contato I giorni del dolore.

So che Gesu` gli ha stretti nel suo cuore.

Vivo momento per momento, ed il giorno passa come fosse un’ora.

Mi andetto che` guardando dal’aldila

la vita, tutta un attimo sara`.

Passano I giorni vigilia di festa

Muore la morte, ed il paradiso Resta.

Due gocce ancora del penoso pianto,

E di vittoria poi` e leterno canto.

Ciao Sorella Amata ci Rivedremo Lassu`

Maria Pia Di Nardo

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Arcangela Gianfelice (nee Galeazza)

Arcangela was born on October 15, 1939 in Guardiaregia, Campobasso Italy where she learned to sew and bake bread from her mother Uliana. She took passage to Canada from Italy in June 1958 at the young age of 19 along with her new husband Natale. She quickly used her talent for sewing and began working in the garment district of Toronto before giving birth to her first son John in January of 1959 and returned to work shortly after until she welcomed her daughter Teresa in May 1962. It was her work at Title Dress that gave her not only the opportunity to do the work she loved but also to learn a foreign language enabling survival in this new country.

Head down with the vision of success along with the determination of her husband they purchased their first home in the spring of 1962. From there she remained at home and focused on her children until she sent off her baby to school. An era of learning and growing taught them to appreciate all the new traditions that came with being Canadian as well as incorporating their family traditions of back home which included canning tomato’s, home made pasta and three course meals at Sunday lunch with lots of bread!

Many years were spent alone with her husband and children until she welcomed the arrival of her sister Maria Pia and her brother Gianpiero. It brought comfort and the reminders of back home and with that her family was split having 2 siblings (Gianpiero, Maria Pia) here in Canada and 3 siblings (Elenora, Elio and Rosalba) with her parents (Uliana and Crescenzo) in Italy.

The years seem to pass so quickly suddenly the children are grown and discovering their own paths in life. She reluctantly approved of John working at CN Rail at the young age of 17 away from home and was most proud of their willingness and success with their educations a rare privilege back at home when she grew up.

Throughout the years there were happy and sad visits back home the loss of her father, the marriage of her oldest nephew and spending time with family. With that she managed to gather her children for what would be their first and only time together as a family enjoying the beauty of Italy in 1983.

As much as life brings us happy and successful times we also encounter bumps and obstacles and in 1987 she was diagnosed with Scleroderma an autoimmune disease affecting the skin, hands, feet and certain other internal organs. There is no cure for this disease and treatments are limited so for many years her silent battle remained that until the end.

She spent little time to give giving thought to the disease and all the time enjoying her love of sewing and watching her first son John marry Vilma the love of his life in October of 1994. Her daughter Teresa followed shortly after marrying her love Mark in November 1998. The years of running after her children in that old house on Oakwood Ave. seemed so far away but the pitter patter of young children was soon to arrive when she welcomed six grandchildren between 1997 and 2005 making the months melt into years and the house once again filled with noise and toys.

As much as her expanding family kept her going the affects of her disease started to slow her down and little by little it started to take her away and limit her time enjoying all the wonderful things in her life. The sewing machine was unplugged, the recipe books were collecting dust and those 3 course meals on Sunday turned into Pizza Pizza orders.

Sadly, the last months of her life were spent in and out of the hospital and as painstaking as this was on all those who love her she was able to return home for what would be her final days.

Although she has left us in body her memories and love are transparent in all of us who remain here with a little piece of our hearts torn out, until we meet again.