Mario Di Fonzo

He leaves to mourn his loving wife of 46 years Claudia; his two children Chris (Sheila and her son Austyn) and Andrea (Lizzie, his “grand-dog” as he called her); his siblings Adelina (Aldo) Rama, Rocco (Susan) Di Fonzo and Leda Ceprano of Italy; his sister-in-law Angelica (Mel) Biluk; brothers-in-law Romeo (Maria) Macario, Carlo (Bonnie) Macario, Tony (Lori) Macario; aunts, uncles, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was predeceased by his mother, Maria Di Fonzo, his two year old brother Mario, and in-laws, Guerino and Dora Macario.

Dad was a genuine, loving, caring and gentle man. He was humble, a man of faith and always placed the well-being of others above his own. His ability to always remain positive was a remarkable gift, which set him apart from others and made him truly unique. He was a great husband and amazing father.

Family was always his first priority. He was a loving, hands-on dad; always taking us to dance classes, swimming lessons, football, and hockey games. He taught us how to ride a bike, drive a car and skate (even though he didn’t know how to skate himself), and of course, true to his profession, how to budget. He allowed us to learn from our mistakes and made us who we are today. Dad was always patient, kind and loving with our mom. She’s always known he was her support. Dad was a very social man and loved spending time with family and friends. We always joked that he and mom had more of a social life than we did.

Dad enjoyed cooking, tending to his plants, and especially boating. He took pleasure cruising up the Red River and along the shores of Lake Winnipeg on his boat, Fonzie1. Mom and dad also loved to travel together, especially cruising, giving them precious memories of their visits to many locations around the world.

Dad was born in Isola del Gran Sasso, Italy on August 27, 1947 and immigrated to Canada in 1959 at the age of 12. He was an entrepreneur at heart and worked hard in order to provide a wonderful life for himself and his family. He was extremely ethical and loyal to family, friends and clients. These traits, along with his intelligence, allowed him to become successful in his professional career.

He owned a gas station and Fiat dealership early in life, then in 1972, began his 44 year career in the financial services industry. He started his career at Standard Life then joined Manulife Financial in 1978, eventually becoming branch manager in 1985. In 1989 he founded his own boutique financial planning firm, Prime Financial Group, which he eventually operated under IPC Investment Corporation. Dad had a strong commitment to his clients and spent many years thinking about who should advise them when he retires. Because of this, he was well prepared to join his practice with The Wealth Planning Group at the beginning of 2016 due to health reasons, ensuring his clients would be looked after according to his standards.

Dad truly loved his job as a financial planner. He was very dedicated to his profession and obtained the Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant and Certified Financial Planner designations. His dedication and desire to help his clients never went unnoticed, which is why he was honoured with the 2016 Legacy Award from IPC. His clients were important to him. He specifically asked us to say a “thank you to all dear clients”.

The family would like to thank Dr. Ralph Wong, the caring nurses and staff at CancerCare Manitoba who helped dad survive as long as he could, despite the odds. We also want to thank the St. Boniface Hospital palliative care unit for making dad feel safe. A special thank you to Paul for your TLC with dad while on the ward.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 at 10:30 am at St. John Brebeuf Church, 1707 John Brebeuf Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Interment will be held at Thomson “In the Park” Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Dad’s memory to CancerCare Manitoba Foundation.

Dad, you fought a good fight, we are so proud of you and now you can finally rest in peace. You are our rock and we will forever miss you. You will never be forgotten and will always be loved forever. Thank you for everything. Watch over us.