It is with great sadness, we share the news of the passing of our father and Nonno, Raffaele Aquino on February 27, 2021, just shy of his 86th birthday. Pre-deceased by his beloved wife, Carmela (2011) of 52 years, loving father of Angie Aquino (Paul Asturi), Frank Aquino (Sandra Petrongolo), pre-deceased by his second child, Maria (1964), and grandfather of Stephan, Michael, Matthew, Natalie and Erica. His siblings and their families and his extended family and friends will also remember him and hold him dear in their hearts.

Our father was born on March 1, 1935 in Cerisano, Cosenza in the Province of Calabria in Italy. His wife-to-be, who had already immigrated to Canada in 1958, sponsored him to join her the following year. They married on June 27, 1959 and together they navigated the realities of being new immigrants. They lived a humble life of hard work and dedication to their family. He devoted all of his working life of 40 years to Kelson Springs, which later became Global Springs.

Our father loved to be surrounded by family and friends and being the first born, he not only worked the land back in Italy to support his parents and siblings, he also sponsored them to come to Canada so they could reunite and make a new life for themselves. Our home was grand central station and for many years, it was bustling with activity as the extended family visited frequently and gathered to celebrate Easter, Christmas, and other occasions. He so enjoyed telling stories of his days as a young man in Italy, his time serving in the military, and his many hunting adventures. As an outdoorsman, his passion was hunting and this was a regular Saturday outing with his brothers and circle of close friends.

The last 10 years, and especially the last 2 years, have been very difficult and challenging for our father following the passing of our mother, his rock. He was lost without her and this was compounded by his declining health, which created mobility restrictions, and the onset of dementia.

We are grateful to have celebrated his 85th birthday last year together as a family but sadly because of COVID-19 this was the last time all of his family surrounded our father.

A special thank you to the team at West Park Long Term Care – especially Marietta, our father was very fond of you and we are so grateful for your compassion; Samantha for all your efforts and in initiating our Zoom calls; and Alex for your gentle attentiveness in trying to keep him active and the frequent Zoom calls you made sure we had particularly during the last few weeks. We commend everyone at West Park for the genuine care, support, and interest in our father over the last 2 years. You helped us extend his life a little longer.

Dad, now you can be at peace. Say hello to Mom for us.

Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, a private service with his children and grandchildren only will be held.

For those who wish to attend the Service virtually by Zoom, please go to the link below at 9:45 am, Wed, March 3rd, 2021.
https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/69893074064?pwd=eDRUbG50ZGF2WVdLam1mYmp4Y3NmZz09

(please copy and paste link into your browser for access)

Following the virtual Service, you can attend the Entombment virtually on Zoom with the following link.
https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/67155113964?pwd=TXM0SkdPNW5ZS1hsKzF1VVlteTM1dz09

(please copy and paste link into your browser for access)

Please note, during the above-mentioned Zoom calls, we kindly ask, that you keep your cameras off and microphones muted, for recording purposes.