elevated YxNVy July 8, 1934 ~ June 27, 2019

elevated YxNVy Visitation
Tuesday, July 2, 2019 from 2:00-4:00 & 6:00-8:00 p.m.

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

elevated YxNVy Funeral Mass
Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 9:15 a.m.

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

elevated YxNVy Entombment
Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
8361 Yonge Street, Thornhill, ON, L3T 2C7

elevated YxNVy Obituary

elevated YxNVy  A LIFE WELL LIVED

elevated YxNVy Mr. Donato Di Giovanni – July 8th, 1934 to June 27th, 2019

elevated YxNVy While growing up in the small town of Roccamorice in central Italy, post War and depression marked his childhood. But Old-World difficulties build opportunities and created a migration to a New World. So, in 1955 at the age of 20 with his wife Angelina and baby girl Lucy, they endured the long trip over. Donato was grateful for the possibilities Canada had to offer and the challenges of becoming Canadian. The newly arrived family settled in a tiny house on Markham Street, in Toronto’s Italian community with a much appreciated family cushion, call it the ‘buddi system’. Before too long, as a matter of fact two days after his arrival, Donato was off to work and saved prudently to sponsor his siblings and parents.

elevated YxNVy Donato Di Giovanni loved to work. He would boast how he never missed a day’s work. Despite learning a new language, he successfully used his passion to invent, build, fail and improve as a labour foreman in the construction industry. He applied his skills on many of Toronto’s landmark buildings as well as his prized bungalow on Glengrove Ave. where he raised a family; Lucy, Angelo and Lina. There are many stories of his contraptions that he and his brothers crafted. His home in Richmond Hill included various customized structures and canal systems that would puzzle any engineer. The rewards of Donato’s hard work were spent on travel. Travelling opened his passion to learn something new and to respect something old. Sharing in those rewards, Donato and his wife arranged a pilgrimage back to the “old county” to instill the importance of old and new to his five grandchildren. Marco, Christopher, Paul, Lucas and Julian. In his retirement years, Donato was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He relied heavily on the past, understanding his future would be difficult. He received the love and care expected from a well-built family, but it was multiplied by his daughter in law Anne and his son in law John, who would willingly help feed and change him. Excepting his fate, he still ended conversations with how grateful and fortunate he was to have such a great life. “Thank you” he would say to us over and over again. That meant so much to us. Oh, and then there is his dearest wife, Angelina. They literally lived by their wedding vows. Till death due us part is an understatement. As Donato began losing his fight with Alzheimer’s, Angelina become his only link to his past. She would visit him every single day at Sherwood Court Long term care, even during her own health setbacks. It was the longest and saddest goodbye, yet momma hung in till the end. My father loved her to his death. And now Donato’s family tree continues to grow with new inductees, Miranda, Nicole and Gisele. Although they never really got to meet him, they should know he was a grateful man who led a safe, comfortable life filled with love for family and friends. He will continue to lead his family through stories of gratitude and humility. Donato Di Giovanni passed away peacefully and respectfully surrounded by his family.

elevated YxNVy Thank you, The Di Giovanni Family.

elevated YxNVy If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society or to the Hospital For Sick Children.