Liberato Spensieri

July 23, 1935 - July 19, 2019

It is with heartfelt sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Liberto Spensieri on July 19th, 2019, surrounded by his loving family. Born on July 23, 1935, in Vinchiaturo, Campobasso, Italy, he was the son of Giuseppe and Rosa Spensieri (Marano). He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Filomena Spensieri (Corsetti); son Joe (Carmela) and daughter Pina (Nick); his grandchildren who he so adored: Riccardo, Anthony, Santina, and Massimo; in Montreal his brother Pasquale (Domenica) and sister Cristina (Domenico). He will be missed by his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, sister (Maria) and niece (Franca).

Liberato was a quiet, simple and gentle man who always put family first. He immigrated to Canada in 1954 and began his new life in Montreal. His work led him to Halifax where he met and married his wife, lived in Montreal for a few years and later returned and raised his family in Halifax. He took pride of being a tile setter and was a mentor to many. He naturally showed people how to have common courtesy, integrity and respect. He often did this with a sense of humour; what we called the Spensieri humour. He loved watching many sports but in particular was a fan of the Montreal Canadians. He enjoyed wine making, music, playing cards occasionally, trips to the Valley and mostly, get togethers with family. He will be missed by all those who knew him. He will remain always in our hearts.

Visitation will on Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm at J. A. Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, Halifax. Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, July 24th, 2019 at 10:00 am at St. Agnes Church, 6903 Mumford Road, Halifax. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in his memory to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia.

The family would like to acknowledge and thank the many health care providers at the Halifax Infirmary for the wonderful care of Liberato. In particular, Drs. Gordon Gibutiz, Laine Green and their teams, and a special thank you to Omar Corsetti.

Words for Nonno

Good morning,

I’d like to thank everyone who came out today to celebrate the life of my grandfather, Liberato Spensieri. I’d like to thank those who travelled from Montreal, and those who took time out of their schedules to be with us today and over the past few days. When I take a minute to step back and look at the number of people who have called, texted, or stopped by to pass on their condolences, or to check on us, I realize how much of an impact Nonno had on the lives of you all and to those he interacted with over the course of his life.

I read a quote at the funeral home last night by Frank Sinatra that, to me, summed up Nonno’s life almost perfectly. It read “I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life. A man who had good friends and a fine family. I don’t think I could ask for anything more than that.”

Nonno taught his grandchildren many things and many important life lessons. But before I get into that, I’d like to give you some background on his life. Nonno was born 84 years ago yesterday; that is, July 23rd, 1935, in the village of Vinchiaturo, Campobasso, which of course is in Italy. For those of you lucky enough to have visited the humble town, it might make sense that someone of Nonno’s character could come from such a place. Humble, balanced, and peaceful are all adjectives that describe both Nonno and his hometown. He would often tell us stories about his early life in Vinchiaturo. He’d tell us about his trips through town with his brother Pasquale on their donkey and the tricks they used to play on each other and on their cousins. Of course, Nonno claimed that he was never the mastermind of the pranks they played. But we knew better.

At the age of 17, he hopped on the ship Homeland along with his Father and Sister, Maria and immigrated to Canada through Halifax’s very own Pier 21. From here it was onto Montreal to start their new lives in La Belle Province. Before attending trade school, Nonno dabbled in the restaurant industry, making bread and pizza! I always wondered if he told Nonna that he was able to cook…pizza at least… Anyway, Nonno graduated with his trade in Tile Setting and began working with his brother and uncle in Montreal. His career took him all over the Maritimes including Newfoundland, New Brunswick, PEI, the tropical island of Bermuda, and of course, to Nova Scotia.

It was during a work assignment in Halifax where he met the woman who would become his wife of 60 years, our Nonna, Filomena AKA Filimina, Spensieri. The two were married at St. Mary’s Basilica on what I hope was a warm February day in 1959 and partied the night away in the North End of Halifax. He moved my grandmother to Montreal where they had two children; my uncle Joe and my mom Pina.

In 1971, his career sent him back to Halifax, and He and Nonna decided to make the move to Fairview permanent. The rest, as they say, is history. Nonno continued to work, plying and refining his trade until he became somewhat of a Rockstar in the tile setting union. I remember overhearing that the more difficult and tedious jobs would be assigned to him. Despite this, Nonno took it all in stride and accepted these challenges. Even after “retiring” his phone would still ring off the hook with people asking for the friendly Italian man who laid the marvelous tiles in my sister’s neighbour’s nephew’s boss’s cousin’s bathroom. My point here is that Nonno worked in a time far before online advertising and because of his attitude, work ethic, and quality, word of mouth referrals kept the phone ringing. He trained and mentored younger guys in the trade and I know that many of the people who he worked with respected him. Over the years I’ve lost count of the number of times people would stop him in public and thank him for helping them in their own careers.

As I briefly mentioned, Nonno was a bit of a prankster and he loved to have fun both at work and at home. I’ve been told stories of Nonno dressing up in ridiculous costumes in hopes of playfully frightening someone or sending guys at work to look for a tool that doesn’t exist. My personal favourite is the left-handed broom, a prank that I may or may not have borrowed from him and played on others myself. Thankfully, Nonno never lost his sense of humour. Some of you may be familiar with the term “Spensieri Humour”. For those of you who are not aware, let me explain. “Spensieri Humour” is the term affectionately given to Nonno’s sense of humour. For example, if someone attempts to get in the wrong car, or walks into a screen patio door, that’s “Spensieri Humour”. Funny enough, “Spensieri Humour” is genetic and is not only shared with his brother and sister, but it has been passed down through his kids, and, admittedly, to his grandchildren.

As many of you know, Nonno was a man of few words. So naturally, when he did speak, we listened. However, more often than not, he taught us by example. I’d like to share with you some of the things we as grandchildren learned from him.

He taught us how to be patient. The guy could sit in his car and wait for hours while Nonna shopped! Despite what he claimed, we all know he had his best naps in the car waiting for Nonna to come out of superstore. All kidding aside, he never seemed to get too far ahead of himself and he didn’t dwell in the past. He also taught us that we should have respect for everyone, even for those who we don’t necessarily see eye to eye with.

I have to say, however, that the two most important lessons he taught us were to support others and to take pride in your work. He showed us how to support others by always being able to drive us anywhere in a pinch, or by organizing trips to the valley for goods when other family members were no longer able. He was always there to support us at hockey games and never missed a birthday or graduation. Nonno was a proud man, especially when it came to his work. He was a perfectionist and held himself to high standards. For better or for worse, he’s the reason why we can pick out proper grout lines from bad ones! His meticulousness paid off for him; there was nothing better than seeing him finish a job and watching him beam with pride. My mom often recalls going to subway stations in Montreal just to admire his tile work!

Family was the most important aspect of Nonno’s life. Family trumped everything and he was the ultimate family man. Everything he did was for his wife, children, and grandchildren. He had a unique connection with each of his grandchildren. For me, we bonded over our interest in construction and he had a big influence on my career choice. As grandchildren we were lucky enough to see Nonno enjoy different parts of his life post-retirement. He enjoyed watching Bob Barker and the Price Is Right over lunch and teaching us how to play Scopa and Briscola. He took countless pucks to the shins when we played hockey in the garage and he loved making his own wine. Don’t worry - he would make sure you knew about it when he had a good year. We always looked forward to Nonno coming over for supper because we knew that he’d have a funny story from the past to tell.

Believe it or not, Nonno was a wrestling fan. We never really understood the appeal, but he loved it. Thankfully, he was able to enjoy a long run of Montreal Canadien Stanley cup wins in the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s. Nonno was alive during 3 of Italy’s 4 world cup titles, although I’m not sure how much of the 1938 win he actually remembered. One of my most cherished memories was in July of 2006, just after Italy won their 4th world cup title. After parading through downtown Halifax, we joined other members of the community and fans at the Italian Cultural Association. My grandfather positioned himself between my brother and I as we belted out Fratelli D’Italia on Agricola Street.

Nonno - I’d like to think that there’s endless amounts of marble and the best wet saw up there so you can create layouts as you please! We’re going to miss your passion for life, your guidance and your kindness that you showed towards those who you met. We are so proud to call you our Nonno. We know you’ll continue to cheer us on from where ever you are up there.

Thank You.

Riccardo