Frank Spadafora

SPADAFORA, Francesco (Ippolito)-Peacefully on Tuesday, October 16, 2102 at the age of 84. Beloved husband of the late Stella (nee Canaris), who has been patiently waiting for him in Heaven. Loving, and devoted father of Theresa Ferrari (David), Tony (Veronica), and Carmine. Cherished Nonno of Adriana, Michael, David, Julia, Matthew and Jonathon. Loving brother of Gennaro (Carmellina) of Timmins and Michele (Rossetta) of Italy. Predeceased by his siblings Rosario, Natale, Angelina, and Assunta. Francesco will be fondly remembered by his many nieces and nephews. Francesco’s loyalty and devotion to his family was second to none. His words of wisdom will be forever missed. Dad’s zeal for life, his strong presence, his wonderful sense of humour and his powerful voice will be remembered in our hearts. He would not want us to mourn him for long, but to be strong and to live life to the fullest as he has. Thank you dad, for the wonderful memories. Friends may call at the Arthur Funeral Home & Cremation Centre on Friday, October 19, 2012 from 6 – 9 pm. Funeral service from the chapel on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 9 am. Rev. Pat Woods officiating. Entombment Holy Sepulchre Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the SAH Foundation or the Ontario Lung Association would be appreciated. A special thank you to Dr. Febbraro for all the years of dedication and to the Sault Ste. Marie Police Services for their professionalism. Also to the many friends that he had at his second home, The Kotitalo Finnish Rest Home. Expressions of sympathy may be offered at www.arthurfuneralhome.com

October 16 we lost an amazing father, an incredible nonno, brother, uncle and friend. Although I stand here with profound sadness, it is with great honour that I spend the next few minutes paying tribute to such an incredible man. Dad, you were a terrific father, we could not have asked for anything more. We will always admire him for his respect of people, his integrity, and his honesty. He never had any hidden agendas, what you saw is what you got! You always knew where you stood with dad.

Dad was a very hard-working man. As many of his paesani, he emigrated to Canada to provide a better life for his young family. And he did just that. He worked tirelessly at the steel mill, never turning down an extra shift if it meant providing that little extra for his children. He taught us the importance of hard work. Never be ashamed for who you are and where you came from. He taught us to never settle and to keep reaching for the stars. Our admiration for him is immense

My brothers and I grew up in a home that was always filled with company. Almost every night there was a relative, a friend, or a paesano who would drop by and instantaneously my parents would put on a spread. The soppressata, the cheese, the wine would come out.

We remember the laughter and the jokes, and our family sitting around that small kitchen table on Hampton Road.

In my teens I remember never being able to sleep in on Saturday mornings. There would be a knock on the door, and the company began to flow in. And we all know how quiet it can be with a room full of Italians.

We will always remember our family trips. Every summer, dad used to load up his station wagon with bushels and we would make our pilgrimage to Traverse City to pick cherries. It never failed. Every year we were joined by other families and soon there was a convoy. I can only imagine how those farmers must have felt when they saw a group of 25 loud Italians decend upon their orchard.

Then there was our yearly trips to South Porcupine to visit our uncle Gennaro. Dad would be so proud to be able to drive up in his new car up to Timmons. He loved to drive and loved to speed. Dad had quite the heavy foot. He always wanted to make it n good time. In other words, you could not stop to go to the bathroom. You couldn’t even ask.

Our trips to South Porcupine have created some beautiful memories for us. Dad and uncle Gennaro playing briscola, and of course, there were some heated discussions about who had the better garden or made the best salami. Through the years they have, maintained a solid relationship. They enjoyed their weekly conversations and their visits as well.

Everyone who knew my father also knew of his passion for his gardening. As a matter of fact, it was his second job. Rain or shine, during the warm weather, my parents spent so much time planting and watering the garden. That garden was huge and it took up the whole backyard. We had nowhere to play. All the plants had to be in a row. And he spent countless hours trying to find the perfect support for his tomatoes. He treated them almost like his children.

And of course there was a competition between the relatives and the paesani, of who had the biggest tomatoes and the longest zucchini.

Dad was also a master salami maker. He loved his soppressata and prosciutto, he enjoyed making them every year. Everyone loved Frank’s salamis. In fact he has more pictures of his hanging salami,then he did of his own children.

Undoubtly his first and foremost passion was his family. He always provided for us, we never went without. Both our parents, made so many sacrifices for us to succeed. His proudest moments were realized through his childrens’ accomplishments. Dad encouraged us to be something. He was so proud at our graduations, our job promotions and at our weddings. He beamed with happiness and pride. He had all the bragging rights. In essence it is our parent’s support that has brought us to where we are today.

Becoming a grandfather, was a cherished role for dad. He was on cloud 9. With each birth of his grandchildren, there was a big party, a gold chain, and of course, bank account was started, dad never missed a birthday. We will always remember the birthday parties and the ice cream cakes, he loved dessert. He had blueberry pie every time. HE never missed an occasion.

Just recently he was at Michaels and Adrianna graduation. He was so proud. In fact he said he was looking forward to their wedding. He had every intention of being there! He was so optimistic.

When mom passed away, we were all so sad. He was the pillar of strength for all of us. His decision to move to the rest home was an example of how selfless he was.

He knew that I would worry about him if he stayed at the house. Getting used to the home was tricky, but within a few weeks he became the “King Pin” my father was not a shy man. He made so many new friends. He helped so many people at the home, he would drive the ladies to their doctor appointments, and to the casino! Dad loved his weekly trips to the casino. I would joke with him not to gamble away our inheritance!

Dad I know that you never wanted to see us mourn your death for too long. He wanted to make everyone happy. So at this moment, let us all think back and remember how he has touched our lives. How he had us laugh, and how good dad was as a person. Let us be thankful that we were given the chance to have known Frank!

He lived life to the fullest, he laughed, he loved, he was affectionate, he found he best in everyone. He gave of himself, Dad, you left this world a little too early. Our world feels so empty right now, but you have left us with so many memories. We thank you. It is moms turn to have you.

A tutti le peasani di papa. Vi vogliamo ringraziarvi per essere stati una parte incredibile della sua vita. Ha apprezzato la vostra amicizia. Noi sappiamo quanto ha condiviso con tutti. Grazie a tutti per essere li per lui. Era cosi fiero dei suoi amici. Si prega di ricordare la sua voce forte, la sua risata, e il suo sorriso.

Grazie a tutti.

Hello, my name is Adriana. Today I am here with my cousins Michael, Julia and David. Our family is mourning the loss of our nonno. We will miss his hugs and kisses but we know he is safe in heaven with our nonna. We will always remember his huge garden of vegetables he had just like it was yesterday. Besides us that was his pride and joy.

We will miss his smile every time one of his grandchildren walked in. He lived for when we all would get together for birthdays, but I think he was just happy because he got to eat his ice cream. I know he loved all of us with all of his heart and I know he is watching us from above. Thank you nonno for your love and support and we know that wherever we walk you will be walking next to us. We will always remember your laughter and your smile. We ask you to keep him in your prayers and remember him the way he was always smiling. We will keep him close to our hearts.