elevated nBmlP September 9, 1936 ~ May 6, 2023

elevated nBmlP Visitation
Friday, May 12, 2023 from 4:00 – 7:00 pm

elevated nBmlP Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home
211 Langstaff Road East, Thornhill, ON, L3T 3Z6

elevated nBmlP Funeral Mass
Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 9:00 am                                   

elevated nBmlP Chapel of St. Joseph – Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home

elevated nBmlP Click Here to View the Funeral Mass

elevated nBmlP Interment
Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
8361 Yonge Street, Thornhill, ON, L3T 2C7

elevated nBmlP Section: 10

elevated nBmlP Obituary

elevated nBmlP Armand (Ermacora) Scaini was born on September 9, 1936 in Gradiscutta di Varmo, Friuli, Italy. He passed away peacefully, with his family by his side, at Sunnybrook Hospital on May 6, 2023.  He leaves behind his loving wife of 57 years, Joan; his daughters, Diane (George) and Carol; granddaughters Emily and Sarah. He also leaves behind his siblings, Anita, Catherine, and the late Lino, and Assunta; their spouses; nieces and nephews; great nieces and nephews; his many relatives around Canada and in Italy; his best friend Alberto and many friends.  

elevated nBmlP An unknown author wrote “At the end of life, what really matters is not what we bought but what we built; not what we got but what we shared; not our competence but our character; and not our success, but our significance.  Live a life that matters.  Live a life of love.”  This summarizes Armand’s life perfectly.  

elevated nBmlP Armand was named after his grandfather Ermacora, and was lovingly nicknamed Machilute by his family in Italy. When he arrived in Toronto in March, 1949, his cousin suggested he change his name for school and so he chose the name Armand.  He was enrolled in elementary school two grade levels behind his academic level.  He quickly picked up English and worked extra hard to achieve marks high enough to attend St. Michael’s College School. This was an amazing feat for a young man who came to Canada at the age of 12 without any knowledge of English. He worked after school and on weekends with his father building chimneys to make enough money to pay for his tuition. He attended SMCS where he sharpened his talent of designing and building furniture. In grade 12, he designed his first home and that summer he built it with his father and brother. In his graduating year, he was awarded St. Michael’s first ever Spiritus Award. Our dad truly lived the SMCS Basilian Fathers’ motto “Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge.” He often recalled Father Regan’s words on his graduation, “Don’t forget to give back – not only to the school, but also to the community.” In 2018, Armand was honoured with the Order of SMCS for his passion, intelligence, and his steadfast dedication to improving the lives of those around him. 

elevated nBmlP In 1957, Armand established the family construction company and built a few homes with his father and brother. At the age of 25, he began designing industrial-commercial buildings, and in the 1960’s, they built a few buildings in Markham. Armand was proud of the company he established and worked hard to run the company until his death.  Armand was known to his tenants for his outstanding customer service and business advice, which resulted in some tenants staying with him for more than 40 years.  Over the last few years, Armand shared his knowledge and moral values of running the company with his daughters. 

elevated nBmlP In September 1964, Armand met Joan at a St. Monica’s Young People’s Group dance. He asked her to dance and the rest is history. On October 16, 1965, they were married at St. James Church. Their love and respect for each other grew over 57 years of marriage. It was not uncommon to see our dad ring the doorbell to give her a rose from his garden. Armand was a wonderful husband, a great dad and a proud Nonno. His giant smile and beautiful eyes lit up a room. Armand was always so proud to share stories about his life, his Friulan heritage and to share some life advice and teach us life skills. He genuinely gave his time, knowledge and support to anyone who asked for help. Armand’s hard work and perseverance helped him achieve a great life.  

elevated nBmlP As a dad, he was one of a kind, a real gem. He was a great role model who supported and loved us. Those many times when he would come home after working hard all day, exhausted, yet he would still go outside to play with us for hours. He shared his love of sporting events by teaching us sports and we watched many games together. He helped us with many school events and initiatives and danced all night with us at the father-daughter dances. To ensure we ourselves had wings to fly on our own, he taught life skills such as how to change tires and boost our cars when we learned to drive; how to fix toilets, change faucets and other home maintenance when we moved into our own homes; and most recently, to continue to carry on his company.  He loved to laugh and joke with us, provided a calming voice and always saw the brighter side to life. He empowered us to follow our dreams and provided us with the knowledge and confidence to achieve them, and to stand up for what we believed in, as he always did. He was incredibly proud to be a Nonno to his two granddaughters Emily and Sarah. His eyes lit up every time they walked into the room. He was eager to learn from them, share a story and of course give them sweets. 

elevated nBmlP For the past 45 years, he was honoured and humbled to work with many dedicated Friulans, including his dear friend Alberto, to keep the traditions and culture alive at the Famee Furlane Toronto. In his various leadership capacities, he organized cultural events and initiatives, published historical books on the history of Italians and their contributions in Canada, held fundraisers for those in need in Canada and abroad, and used his knowledge and skills to help maintain and service the buildings. His proudest accomplishment as President of the Famee occurred shortly after his own father passed away. His mother was very lonely and missed socializing with her friends. He asked his mother to bring a few friends to the club to play cards and in 1978, the Eta d’Oro group was created. His vision to expand the footprint of the Famee Furlane led to the purchase of the property to the east, which is where the Friuli Terrace was eventually built on. The last few years, he was honoured and proud to support the next generation who serve on the boards of the Famee, Villa Gambin and in particular, the Friuli Terrace. In 2017, he was honoured with The Famee Furlane Toronto Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition and appreciation of many years of loyalty and dedication. 

elevated nBmlP Armand has been a member of St. Pascal Baylon Church on Steeles Avenue for over 60 years.  He served as the lead property manager for 40 years. One of his most noted initiatives was developing a “Canada/Haiti partnership” in 2000 by building a small seminary and high school in Haiti with Fr. Durante. Our father took the lead to inspire community businesses and volunteers to extend their hand by collecting materials and resources required for the project and sending them to Haiti in containers. 

elevated nBmlP Armand has been recognized over the years with numerous awards including the Golden Jubilee Medal from the Governor General of Canada for his volunteer work.  Armand and Joan valued giving back, particularly to those who impacted their lives. They sponsored and named the chapel at Villa Leonardo Gambin Long-Term Care facility “St. Michael’s” after Armand’s high school and “in honour of Fr. Ermanno Bulfon” who was an inspiring young priest of Friulan heritage who passed away. In addition, at St. Michael’s College School, they co-sponsored the creation of the Basilian Fathers Wall.   

elevated nBmlP We are forever grateful to the many specialist doctors and nurses at Sunnybrook Hospital who supported Armand’s care. We appreciated the support of Neurocore Physiotherapy and the nurses and PSW’s who helped Armand at home. 

elevated nBmlP Although our hearts are broken, we know how blessed we were to have the best husband, father and Nonno in our lives. Mandi Dad. Buona Notte. 

elevated nBmlP In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sunnybrook Hospital https://sunnybrook.ca/foundation/  

elevated nBmlP Please join us in remembering Armand Scaini by sharing your thoughts and fond memories with our family on this site.   

elevated nBmlP