John Oliver Giardino

John will be lovingly remembered by his son Tony (Karen), daughter Annamarie (George), sisters Cantida, Alba and Elda, and many in-laws, nephews, nieces, relatives, friends and neighbours.

John was predeceased by his beloved wife Linda in May of 2015.

John came to Winnipeg from Italy at a very young age to begin a new life.

He was a CN employee for 35 years with a great work ethic and never missed a single day of work.

John was a kind, caring, generous, fun-loving and well-mannered.

The snow never fell nor the leaves at John’s place because even at his age he was able to keep his yard so perfect. John was an excellent gardener and he loved to make his own “vino”. He was also a big fan of the fights especially wrestling.

He and Linda had many trips to Italy, an Alaskan cruise and many trips to Vancouver to visit his sister and family.

John was the best care-giver ever for Linda when she fell ill. He never left her side not for a moment. The Doctor would find often them asleep holding hands on the couch. John loved his family, and his kids were everything to him, but his heart ached for Linda and it was hard for him after she was gone. John was extremely grateful for every visit he had and meal brought to him.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, October 18 at 10:00 AM at Thomson “In the Park” Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Boulevard. A private interment will take place in Waverley Memorial Gardens, 1501 Waverley Street.

JOHN GIARDINO

Eulogy

John was born on the beautiful farm in Grimaldi, Italy. He had 5 sister and 1 brother. As a young boy he roamed the fields of the farm and he had many stories that he would tell his children. His father bought him a horse (Nino) when he was a young boy, which made him like the “King of the town”.

John served in the Military when he was of age where he learned many skills of trade.

John came over from Italy as a young adult. He learned English and to read and write on his own. John was born on December 5, 1928. He would have been 88 years old this December.

John met Linda at a family gathering. They were married when he was 27 and she was 17. Their first home was on Home Street, where they had two children Tony and Anna Marie.

Many good memories were shared with family and friends at get-togethers throughout the years. At these family gatherings, John would do many impersonations of characters, which would make all the nieces and nephews laugh

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John was always a stylish man, he dressed well. He still visited the local “Barber’ on Pembina Highway.

He took a lot of pride in his home and yard and wanted things to look perfect. Nothing was ever out of place. The snow was cleared as the flakes fell and so too were the leaves.

John enjoyed a long retirement and he would spend hours outside in the yard, garden and garage. He liked to shine his Buick. He could often be seen in his yard wearing his Tommy Hilfiger flip flops, denim cut-offs and he always had a great tan. There was no stop button for John and even Linda worried about him sometimes. He would work outside for 8 hours. He would shovel his enormous driveway all at once, plant the whole garden in one day. We would often find him on his roof as you pulled up the driveway. He loved the Christmas Season and loved to decorate.

He loved to visit his mother in Italy along with his sisters and family. He and Linda would take the Via Train to Vancouver to visit his other sister Alba and family quite often.

When Linda, his wife took ill, John demonstrated round the clock “care-giving” beyond belief. When she was hospitalized and advised not to return home, he fought for her to be at home because he knew this is where she wanted to be, and this is where he wanted her to be. It was exhausting and hard, but love and the remaining time with her, prevailed all.

At first John was not particularly fond of “Chunk”, the 110 pound Mastiffe dog of Tony and Karen’s. The dog did not come into the house nor did John really care to touch him. It is funny how after certain events, that Chunk became John’s very good friend, offering him comfort. Chunk used to visit Linda, lie down by John’s feet and when Linda was gone, Chunk would inspect the whole house to ensure John was secure. Chunk always resisted leaving John’s house. A true bond had formed.

John had excellent health his entire life and was very fit for his age.

If you go to the house, you will see amazing Cedar trees that he planted himself that have now grown to amazing heights. These cedars are home to a colony of grackles that John had a love-hate relationship with, because of the unsightly business they left on his Buick.

The kids often brought him meals such as Swiss Chalet, Tony Roma ribs, Chinese food but his all-time favorite was “Pasta and Beans”. He even made his own pasta sauce.

John always patted you warmly on the shoulder or back and genuinely wanted to know how you were.

He was always helping his kids around their homes when needed.

John will be dearly missed by many, for years to come.

Noi ti Amero per Sempre (We will love you forever dad).