Matthew Barras (Grandson)

Entered October 8, 2019

You will be missed Nonna

Mark Barras (Son in law)

Entered October 8, 2019 from Caledon

You have been a part of my life for over 40 years. I always felt of you as a second mother, even more so after I lost my own mother. I’m really not sure what I or any other member of the family will do without your presence. I know you always thought I understood more Italian than I really did. I may not of understood everything you said all the time. Make no doubt I always knew you loved and cared for me like I was one of your own. I will always miss you and keep you in my heart.
❤️❤️❤️

Anna (Niece)

Entered October 8, 2019 from Calgary Alberta

Rest In Peace Zia 🌹🌹🌹🌹❤️❤️❤️❤️ you are now at peace, and in heaven with all your loved ones 🙏

Jen (Milward) Cardillo (Friend of Anna)

Entered October 8, 2019 from Brampton

Anna, I am so sorry for the loss of your mom. Thinking of you! Jen xo

Loralee & Mark Santarossa 

Entered October 8, 2019 from Brampton

Luciano & Family ,
My deepest condolences to your family. Your mom will forever be in our hearts. She was a wonderful lady and the love she had for my sister was no doubt true love. May she rest in eternal peace. Heaven has gained another angel!

I’ve often joked that I’m an honourary Italian. My godmother is Italian and I grew up with her family as much a part of my childhood as any blood relatives could be. My father had been friends with the family when he was a kid. They were known for feeding the whole neighbourhood, including my dad and his friends, and then as they all grew into teens, feeding their girlfriends, like my mom. And then their children, like me, came along and joined this ever-growing family of Italian immigrants and their adopted bellies.

Meals aways involved lots of food and Italian-English translations. The mother of the house didn’t speak much English and I spoke no Italian, so my conversations with her consisted of a lot of hand gestures and laughter. I’d try to use my school French to interpret at least a bit and when I would catch the gist, she’d speed up, excited that we understood each other and then laugh when we lost it again. But I did quickly learn what “Mangia! Mangia!” meant.

On the first night of my Intrepid Travel tour last week, our leader Giulia asked us all why we had specifically picked an Italy food tour for our holidays. I was only half kidding when I said I was there for my Italian “heritage.” And so many of my meals on the trip did in fact remind me of those meals growing up. The smell of fresh tomato sauce, the taste of real parmigiana, the long lingering around the lunch table, no one in a hurry for the eating to end.

Yesterday, I attended the funeral for the mother of my honourary Italian family, Pasqualina. There were many mentions of her formidable cooking and how she fed generations of us, and how saying no to a plate in her home was simply not done.

And then, later while driving home, something clicked for me. Some of the family had joked with me that I’ve made a career of eating around the world. And I realized that their Ma/Nonna is the one who had taught me from an early age the very thing that defines so much of my travels today — that good food, shared with laughter, is the only common language you need.

If Roses Grow in Heaven
By Dolores M. Garcia

If roses grow in heaven,
Lord please pick a bunch for me,
Place them in my Mother’s arms
and tell her they’re from me.
Tell her I love her and miss her,
and when she turns to smile,
place a kiss upon her cheek
and hold her for awhile.
Because remembering her is easy,
I do it every day,
but there’s an ache within my heart
that will never go away.

THE LAST GOODBYE


Losing someone you love... is never easy.

Losing my Mother , Our Mother
Your Grandmother
Your great Grandmother
Your Sister , your Aunt
Your Friend.....

......Is just painful.

It’s like your heart HURTS.

I wish that she could live forever ...here on earth..... But.... none of us can

My Mother died peacefully in my arms surrounded AND LOVED by ALL ...her adored children and grandchildren.

Every one of us was either holding
Her beautiful hands or gently touching and stroking her weak, frail body.

Although she was very weak... and her BELOVED family filled our house with HAPPY and also SAD ..
NOISE for 2 days..... she stayed with us.

She listened to ALL the words we spoke ....of our PROFOUND and
IMMEASURABLE LOVE for her.

As she quietly slipped further and further away .... she was content and strong enough ... to leave us.

I imagine that my FATHER took her by the hand to guide her on her journey to heaven.

MY MOTHER was the SUNSHINE
That WARMED your HEART!!

The sound of her sweet and gentle voice was like music.


SHE shaped ALL OUR lives with her GOODNESS and LOVE.

SHE WAS the QUEEN of our family.

Since her death I’ve heard people describe her with words such as:
KIND. LOVING. WARM. GENEROUS. BEAUTIFUL. CARING
COMPASSIONATE. STRONG.
AMAZING. WELCOMING. WONDERFUL. SELFLESS........

I CAN tell YOU... SHE WAS ALL
Those things...... And MUCH more.

We will miss you ...MAMMA...
we already do.

Fly high and be free with ALL the friends and family that have been waiting for you in HEAVEN.

YOU were our ANGEL on earth
And NOW .... YOU ARE OUR ANGEL IN HEAVEN.

THANK YOU for LOVING us.

Spending my life WITH YOU was my BLESSING and my PRIVILEGE.

Our whole FAMILY has you locked into OUR HEARTS and your MEMORY and your LEGACY will LIVE on through US FOREVER.
Rest In Peace our kind and gentle mother.

A’DIO .... MAMMICELLA BELLA.

Ti siamo voluto TANTO TANTO
Bene.......

E ti vorremo BENE per SEMPRE.

Godspeed

Our Grandmother was an amazing woman!
During her life she was a daughter, a sister, a wife, an aunt, a nonna and a biznonna. But most of all she was a Mother. She was a new, vibrant spirit, born into a role that she embraced. She took on the role of mother to her younger siblings before she had children of her own. She continued to be a mother figure, even after her own children had grown up, to everyone who knew her.

For us, Nonna was the last of a special generation. A generation that had important values that are a lot different than ours today.

To her, sitting around the dinner table with the people you love was important. She believed that a good meal, a full stomach , “e una tazza di cafe”, would make any situation better. Or how about after explaining all the problems and hurdles we had to overcome to achieve our goals that day, she would respond with “ ahhhhh non ti preocupare figlio mio, vai a dormire”.... Those were wise words! A talk with Nonna after a difficult day would make you feel better right away. She had a way of wrapping you up in her love, like a warm blanket.

What she meant was to lighten up, don’t take everything so seriously, take naps, drink wine with every meal, don’t fret ... and enjoy the time we have on this earth.

It didn’t matter who walked through the door she would always ask, “ ai fame??” Just as you finished eating all the wonderful food that she spent all day preparing, she would look at you with utter disappointment and say “ ma.....non sei mangiato niente!!!” You never ate enough to make her happy!
Watching you enjoy lots of good food, made her happy.

Nonna had a special place in her heart for everyone especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved everyone and everyone loved her so much. She was a beautiful person with a beautiful and kind heart. A pure soul. She will be missed so very much.

We may have turned the final page on Nonna’s life, but we will keep her spirit alive through our love and remembrance of her and the values she lived by and taught us.

Rest In Peace Nonna.
We love you.
You live in our hearts now.