Germano Bagnarol

Good morning, everyone. Thank you for attending today’s committal service to honor the life of Germano Bagnarol. Nonno Germano grew up in the region of Friuli, surrounded by his loving parents Luigi and Adele, and his brothers Adelchi, Onelio, Rino, Duilio, and sister Giovanna. Nonno Germano was the first of his family to leave Italy and make the journey to Canada. In early 1950 he came by boat all on his own, arrived in Halifax and worked across Canada until he settled in Toronto where he then sponsored his family, and his wife Elsa to join him. With his brothers and close friends, they formed a construction company, where he worked the majority of his life until he retired. Germano and Elsa got married in 1958 and raised three children- Sonia, Roy, and Ivana. They taught their children values about taking care of one another, hard work and commitment, and most of all, how to lead a life by example. With each of his children, he instilled life lessons and teachings of integrity and responsibility. As Sonia was his first born, she tagged along with him to job sites, taking in everything she could. Even as a child, she admired early on how her father guided her without ever telling her what to do. He encouraged her to be independent, and to never be scared to pursue life. Nonno referred to Roy as his best friend, as they always shared common ground with topics of sports, hunting, hard-work, and family. Nonno was always a calming force to the family. Even when growing up, Ivana scraped the family car on the side of the house as she was pulling in, and he still remained calm. She respected his demeanor of understanding and patience and later in life she always paid it back to him by tending to his garden, giving him manicures/pedicures and trimming his hair. Nonno was a family man who was always very easy to talk to (as he mostly just listened), but whenever he was called on to respond to an answer, he always spoke with certainty and with understanding. The Bagnarol home was always full of laughter and is described as a home with a revolving door because many people enjoyed the company of Nonno Germano and Nonna Elsa. Their hospitality, and willingness to go above and beyond for others stuck with their family and friends, and their home became a comfort to many.

Nonno Germano has four granddaughters who love him dearly: Olivia, Rebecca, Sophia, and Chiara. His love for us was felt each time we walked through the door, to when we left, and we knocked on his outdoor window to wave goodbye. He taught us all so much. In every aspect of life, with friends and family he always made sure everyone was treated fairly and with respect. As he was a very intelligent man, he taught us our times tables, how to cheat and not get caught playing Briscola, and how to be there for each other. He found great comfort knowing that he raised such a tight-knit family who would do anything for each other. Germano loved having his family around. Growing up, Nonno was always the best unsuspecting person at Easter. During our hunt for easter eggs at Zia Sonia’s house, Nonno would always silently be hiding the biggest and final egg with him for us to find.

His brothers gathered at his house every Thursday to talk about their childhood and current lives, and his children and granddaughters came every Sunday morning. He would call us over to tend to the garden or for other smallest things just so he could have everyone with him. Every Sunday we sat around and spoke about our lives. His granddaughters' plans for school, the stresses of work, the excitement of boyfriends and

girlfriends, and everything in between. Nonno sat there with a smile on his face, hands crossed in front of him resting on his lap and listened to every word. He enjoyed hearing Lauretta, the next-door neighbor, talk about school and her insect collection. He made sure that for every Christmas and birthday, our family would get something for her as a thank you for her smiles and great company.

After Nonna Elsa passed in 2015, several caregivers came into his life to assist him as he needed support for feeding and medicines. For the past 5 years, Cynthia was there to help him, and to also be the recipient of his jokes. He was very thankful for Cynthia, and the family will always be grateful for the great care she provided to him and our family. Nonno went through a lot in the last 10 years of his life, however he always remained resilient and strong. The running saying in our family is that the Bagnarol’s are made of good stock, and that unless he was ready, God would not be able to take him away from us. In his last days, his children and grandchildren were by his side, keeping him comfortable, sharing our thoughts and prayers, singing, and laughing. He remained strong and resilient up until the moment he passed. He stayed in good spirits till his last breath, and he decided it was time for him to go. Germano was and will always be a man who people look to with the utmost respect, as he endured so much but always made it seem like everything was going to be okay. Nonno is finally with Nonna Elsa, and they are at peace with each other- well, we hope they are peaceful. His family is certain that Nonna was waiting for him saying, “Germano, what took you so long!”. We are eternally grateful to be blessed with such a man as our brother, friend, father, father-in-law, and grandfather. His life was truly one that we are thankful to have known and enjoyed….and not a day goes by where we are not thinking of him.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.delmorofuneralhome.com for the Bagnarol family.