Mr Bruno Rinaldo

Bruno Rinaldo, age 89, of Victoria, British Columbia passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones, after a difficult battle with vascular dementia at the Royal Jubilee Hospital on the night of Saturday, October 7, 2023, the same day as the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Bruno was born on August 19, 1934 to Domenica Bascheria and Antonio Rinaldo in San Zenone degli Ezzelini, Treviso, Italy. After surviving the second world war and the sudden death of his father, Bruno decided to immigrate to Canada in 1954. Bruno started his career as a bricklayer and stone mason in Eastern Canada, then moved to Calgary in 1962. In Calgary, he met Franca Spagnol and they were married before the end of the same year. Bruno and Franca went on to have 4 kids. He was Father of Lidia (Earl), Sage, Davide (Helen) and Dino (Rosaura). Grandfather of Lance, Allison (Paul), Mathew, Angelina. Great-Grandfather of Avery, Amelia and Nicolas.

After moving to Kelowna, BC, Bruno worked in the construction industry for over 40 years. He was the foreman of the mason crew that installed all the marble during a restoration of the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC. Bruno was passionate about ensuring the brick/stone installations were as close to perfect as possible and loved what he did for a living.

Bruno switched careers and purchased/managed/maintained the Fuller Lake Motel at Chemainus, BC for four years. Bruno retired in 1989 at a newly built home in Cordova Bay and stayed for another four years. He then found his dream retirement home and property on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Dashwood, near Qualicum Beach, BC in 1993. He renovated the five wild acres of land into a beautiful award winning garden and added a steep staircase with over 200 steps down to the beach on the shores of the Strait of Georgia. Bruno built a home that was a haven for his family who visited often from Victoria, Vancouver and from overseas. While retired, he also had time to pursue: gardening, wine making, and cheering on his favourite teams in the Seria A Italian football league. Throughout his life and wherever he lived, Bruno was a devoted member of the catholic church and rarely missed a mass on Sunday.

Bruno was predeceased by: Antonio, Domenica, Lidia, (Firmino) and Priscilla (Jean Franco). He is survived by: Severina, Antonio (Luigina), Silvana (Luigi), Maria Rosa (Franco) and Bortolo (Silvana).

A Catholic funeral will be held in Bruno’s honour at Sacred Heart Church 4040 Nelthorpe Street in Victoria on Friday October 27th at 10 am. Reception in the Parish Hall to follow.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy can be shared with the family in the condolences section below. Donations in Bruno’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s society.