Maria Blasina

Born 1 May 1928, Commune di Albona, Istria, Italy

Died 21 May 2023, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of Maria Blasina, of Burnaby, British Columbia. Maria is mourned by her son Roberto (Merima) of Burnaby BC, grandchildren James of Philadelphia PA and Niki (Joseph) of London UK, nieces and nephews Michael Lupetini (Elizabeth) of Western Springs, Illinois; Maria Lupetini (David) of San Diego, California, Lino Miletić (Mirela) of Labin, Istria, first cousin Lina Klarin of Hillsdale, NJ, and dear relatives and friends in Italy, Istria, the United States, and Canada. Maria is predeceased by her husband Giuseppe “Bepi,” siblings Ernesta and Lino, and parents Giustina and Marco.

Maria was born at home in Istria, Italy, in the village of Cerni (now Crni) on May 1, 1928. Her parents were Giustina (n. Cos) and Marco Lupetin. Maria had the distinction of having two birthdays and two last names. Her father was a mariner, and on May 4th he returned home and went to the nearby city of Albona (now Labin) to register her birth. Henceforth her birth date would be officially recorded as May 4th. Also, while attending school, under the Italian Fascist regime, Maria’s surname (despite its historic Venetian origin) was changed to Lupetini.

Maria was the youngest of three children; her brother Lino and sister Ernesta were four and eight years older, respectively. Maria had a happy childhood growing up in the midst of a multigenerational and extended family, in a pastoral hillside village overlooking the Adriatic Sea. She often stayed with her Zia Caterina who lived at the water’s edge down the hill in the village of Santa Marina. With her closest friends, Maria Glussich and Edda Lupetin, she swam in the pristine waters of Santa Marina’s bay.

Maria loved and excelled at school. She aspired to be a teacher, but her formal education was cut short in the circumstances of the time. When she was eight, her father was killed in an accident aboard his ship, the Alicantino, docked in Trieste. Then came the Second World War, and normal schooling was no longer possible, as Istria was caught in the fighting between occupying German forces and insurgent Communist Partisans.

After the War, Istria was ceded to Yugoslavia, which closed its border with Italy. At great personal risk, Maria escaped in 1949. Her fiancé, Giuseppe (“Bepi”) Blasina, who was also from Cerni, was the captain of a ship taking on cargo in Istria. He hid her aboard and took her to Trieste, where they were married. The following year their son, Roberto, was born.

In 1952 they immigrated to Canada as post-war displaced persons. They first lived in Toronto, and then moved to the town of Creighton Mine, west of Sudbury, Ontario. Although ever nostalgic for her Istria lost, Maria started a new life. Having lived under two dictatorships, she deeply appreciated that in Canada people could form opinions freely and speak without fear. She learned English, and made new and close friends. She worked as a sales clerk in womens’ clothing store, always having a keen an eye for style and dressing well on a practical budget. She did volunteer work through the Catholic Womens’ League, and, with the encouragement of her dear friend, Rita Craigen, became certified as a telephone responder on a suicide prevention hotline.

In 1981, Maria’s beloved Bepi passed away, and in 1984 she moved to Burnaby to be close to her son and his family. Living minutes away, Maria took an active role in the care and upbringing of her grandchildren, Jamie and Niki. She instilled in them a love for the Italian language and culture, and although she claimed not to enjoy cooking, she lovingly prepared and taught them to make fusi, gnocchi and crostoli. Independent by nature, she lived in her own home, tended her garden, voraciously read history books, and kept abreast of current events. She had frequent visitors, and her telephone was always busy as she sincerely kept in touch with relatives and friends locally and in the United States, Italy, and Istria. She was known for her kindness, intelligence and thoughtfulness, and she was never afraid to voice her opinions on current issues and politics. Despite her limited formal schooling, she valued the pursuit of knowledge, and emphatically encouraged her son, grandchildren, and any young person to pursue an education for its own sake.

Into her 80s, Maria was a model of graceful aging; her mind remained sharp, and even as her body began to slow down, she made a point of staying active to the best of her abilities. Just shy of her 89th birthday, she suffered a devastating stroke. Maria’s final years were spent in residential care at Dania Home in Burnaby, where the staff always treated her with professionalism, understanding, respect, and kindness. The family is most grateful. Maria was devout in her faith, and regularly attended the Sunday morning Italian Mass at St. Helen’s Catholic Church. She received last rites from Fr. Alessandro Lovato, and she died peacefully on Sunday morning, May 21, 2023, at age 95. Hers was a life well lived.