Rocco Zavarelli

He passed away peacefully on April 16, 2026, surrounded by his family, at age 89. Rocco is survived by his loving wife of 64 years Maria, and his children: his sons, Salvatore (Nella) Graziano(Tina) and his daughter Antonella (Carmine); his seven beloved grandchildren Luigi (Marta), Tommaso(Hailey), Chelsea, Giovanni (Hailey), Savannah, Matti and Matteo and his great-granddaughter Margherita. He will be sadly missed by his many friends and family in Canada and Italy.

Rocco was born May 13, 1936 in Campo Di Giove, L'Aquila. Abruzzo, Italia, cherished son of Salvatore and Maria Grazia. Though he was born into a small rural mountain village in very difficult economic times, his childhood was filled with love and a strongly united extended family. This would mold in him a fierce sense of duty and loyalty. Even in the harshest of times, including displacement during the occupation of World War 2, the family stuck together. Rocco always said that this was a family that worked hard together but also sang together, he always said his house was filled with song.

He was the last of generations of pastori Abruzzesi, his teenage years spent doing what his father, his grandfather and all his great-grandfathers did before him, a shepherd in the mountains of Abruzzo, walking so many kilometres along the green highways of the Transumanza towards Puglia and in the colline Romane. He was a tireless worker, another trait that would define him to his very last day.

He provided military service as a proud Alpino and, after service, in 1959 he went to London England for work. In the spring of 1961, returning home for a visit, he saw Maria in the small village of Cansano and in true Rocco spirit, asked her to marry him 10 minutes after meeting her. By that same afternoon he approached her father and told him that he wanted to marry her. That was Rocco, never the procrastinator. If you want something, do it, do not waste time. She accepted and on December 28, 1961 they were married. They had 3 children. We each have memories of him, Salvatore's childhood memories of growing up with him include what was passed on him from his father and grandfather, the hard life of a shepherd ,going along with him as a 7-8 year old , tending to the livestock , remembering going out to the nearby forests to gather wood to boil the goat milk for cheese,ricotta, to sell to local shops. Remembering in the winter of ‘71, during a fierce snowstorm ,risking his life for a few lost goats in a nearby forest trying to find them , that’s how dedicated he was, to what took care of his family's livelihood, what put food on our table, clothes on our backs ,payed rent , and even to the livestock in his care. In 1973, Rocco made that ultimate sacrifice by packing up us all ,wife, 3 young children, and migrating to a new land of hard work and prosperity, Canada, North America. And here the hard work really began. With Maria, he made the decision to immigrate to Canada, for the love of these children. Salvatore always remembers our dad telling him as a young teenager that in this country nothing is handed out to you, nothing is free, you have to work hard for it, lots of sacrifices , teaching to learn to do things on your own. And to this day have there are no regrets in life, everything that I know is a result of my dear father, always listening to his advice and it’s this advice that would like my 2 daughters to also learn , to have that sense of duty, respectable, hard worker, never procrastinate, don’t wait for others to do it for you but learn to do it yourself, to always work hard for your family, be selfless. He loved his family with all his heart , he was selfless, and always put them before himself, they were the reason for his existence. In Canada, Rocco and Maria worked hard to build comfortable lives for their children and themselves. Rocco worked in the construction industry as a labourer. He continued in true Italian spirit with the traditions that gave him joy: wine making every fall, sausage making in the winter and his garden in the spring and summer. Family is first, that is what he always told us, and nothing would bring us more joy than carrying his legacy of winemaker, sausages, prosciutto , the only one not yet mastered , hoping that one day to do it as well as he did it. It was with the birth of his seven grandchildren that he became what was for him an extreme honour, he was Tatone, in true Abbruzzese tradition. Nothing made him happier than to hear them call him that, he said it filled his heart. Countless memories have been made throughout his life, and many stories will be fondly remembered by all of us, he leaves a rich legacy, a model for us to follow. A man defined by loyalty, respect, hardwork but also empathy, peace and joy. We miss him terribly but we know that each one of us is a piece of him and we honour that. Family and friends may visit at the Jerrett Funeral Home, 1141 St. Clair Ave. W. (1 block east of Dufferin) on Sunday April 19 from 4:00 to 9:00 and Monday April 20 from 7:00 to 9:00. A celebration of life will be celebrated on Tuesday April 21 at 11:00.