elevated NYuAM March 1, 1951 – March 15, 2021
elevated NYuAM Giuseppe ‘Joe’ Marrelli’s memory lives on in our hearts and bellies. His prowess in the garden, kitchen, and cantina are well-known. His pioneering efforts in salumi (the Italian art of curing meats) and antipasti resulted in seasonal joy and his savoury contributions to family functions were often the first to disappear. Capicola, prosciutto, pancetta, aged cheeses, olives, and peppers, to name a few, were often anticipated and requested. Most famous was his soppressata. Often imitated, never duplicated. Like Joe, himself, his soppressata was truly special. Each one was lovingly crafted and nurtured like his own children. The results were an experience that bordered between ecstasy and pure unadulterated greed. Guests often strategically positioned themselves at the antipasti table to monitor soppressata stock levels, while casually trying to not appear like a ‘porco’ (one of Joe’s favoured descriptions) and a chance at the final slice. On occasion, blood was shed. Thankfully, there was always a stash somewhere. Joe made sure of that. He always took care of his family.
His gift of food was a gift of love and is a living example of dedication, integrity, and passion. The ‘why?’ of his actions culminate in what was dearest to him. Family. His strength and determination carried him through his battle with cancer. His brave face and relentless will were for his family. Even during his tribulations he showed compassion, kindness, and mercy. In the end, he moved on to a greater adventure in a fashion much like his stoic and practical disposition in life. On Monday, March 15, 2021, at his home of 47 years in Toronto, Ontario, at the age of 70, he transitioned quietly and peacefully. No fuss. He even waited until everyone was sleeping.
His strength originated from his parents, Teresina and the late Francesco Marrelli. In 1963, their courage brought the Marrelli clan to the land of Canada, the same year ‘The Littlest Hobo’ debuted on television. He loved animal shows. He built on this opportunity throughout his life. Like many new immigrants they began establishing their roots and legacies through honest hard work and a belief in making a better life. In 1970, he had his first heart attack. Struck by cupid and divine providence, Joe was introduced to the love of his life, Rose Sposato. Swept off her feet, she reciprocated this sentiment by becoming Rose Marrell in 1973. Together in 1974 they established Casa Marrelli. An institution that stands strong to this day. It was here that he developed and established his tenets and his cantina, a sacred space where one, if lucky enough to be invited, treaded lightly and carefully. It is the birthplace of Joe’s Soppressata. This place also became a loving home to his daughters Teresa and Tania, the apples of his eyes, his son-in-laws Daniel and Tony and, to Joe’s delight, his grandchildren Noah, Owen, and Laila, and Rocco and Luca. Each grandchild dutifully fulfilled their role as nap time buddy on his belly, on the living room couch. His kitchen was tiny. Yet it was as big as his heart. It was often a raucous gathering place for his brothers and their significant others. Jim Marrelli and his late wife Rocchina, Tony Marrelli and his wife Mirella and Mario Marrelli and his wife Mary. In a way that defies physics, his many nieces, nephews and a host of friends, from Malito, to the tracks, to the yard, would also congregate there. They always fit. He always made room.
Joe was one-of-a-kind.
‘They just don’t make them like they used to. Am I right or am I wrong?’
If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Michael Garron Hospital foundation or to the Canadian Cancer Society or, in true Joe fashion, share a dinner and a laugh with your family in honour of him. A private Funeral Mass will take place on Friday, March 19, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. Please click the link below if you wish to stream the Funeral Mass.
elevated NYuAM
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elevated NYuAM
Our Heartfelt Condolences to you Rose and your Family. I will never
forget his way of telling stories and his view of Life in general.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this difficult time, may God Bless “You” and your Family, and may he give you Strength, Courage and Guidance to carry on. I truly Believe that one day we will all meet
again, Pace.
Mario & Jim,
Wishing you my deepest sympathy in the loss of your brother. May he
rest in peace.
Heartfelt Condolences to Rose and the entire Marrelli family. Joe will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by all.
Our prayers are with you all during this very difficult time.
What a beautiful obituary. We are so sorry for your loss. Joe held a very special place in all of our hearts and we will miss him dearly, especially at the dinner table. He had a way of making everyone around him smile, we loved hearing his stories. We will miss him dearly.
Sending sincere sympathies during this difficult time; may our thoughts and prayers give you strength – we are so very sorry for your loss!
Our sincerest condolences to the whole family. Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time. Together you will keep Joe’s memory alive and his love and smile will always live through his children and grandchildren.
My deepest condolences to Rose, Tania and Teresa. I am so so saddened by this news, everything you shared was well said and felt, he will be dearly missed. He had a beautiful smile, he was funny, I personally had plenty of laughs in his presence. I am sad that he suffered but now he is at peace and he has forever impacted your lives for the better!!! He is gone but not forgotten. May He be in the presence of Almighty God. R.I.P.
Mario & Jim,
wishing you my deepest sympathy in the loss of your brother.
Pochissime parole vengono in mente in momenti come questo, solo tanta commozione e tristezza. Siamo vicini a voi.
Era un uomo speciale di talento, di umanità, di voglia di vivere, con mille e mille storie ancora da raccontare attraverso la sua curiosità e la sua ironia. Che cattiveria perderlo così.
Ci uniamo al vostro dolore.
Il mondo perde gentilezza, intelligenza e ironia.
E’ una giornata piena di dolore questa.
E adesso? Come faremo noi senza tutta questa saggezza, questa energia, questa gentilezza?
Dovremo diventare noi saggi, forti, gentili. E farlo in fretta.
Quando una persona ci lascia, quando non è più qui e non possiamo più toccarla, o sentire la sua voce… sembra scomparsa per sempre. Ma un affetto sincero non morirà mai. Il ricordo delle persone che ci sono state care vivrà per sempre nei nostri cuori: più forte di qualsiasi abbraccio, più importante di qualsiasi parola.
Il suo sorriso non lo dimenticherò mai… è il sorriso di chi lotta, di chi ama la vita…e lui la vita l’ha amata fino all’ultimo giorno!
Condoglianze sincere.
Our deepest condolences for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family and friends during this very difficult and sad time.
My heart goes to u and your family. My sincere condolences.
Our deepest sympathy and condolences for your loss. May God give you and your family the strength in this most sad and difficult time. May loving memories ease the pain in your hearts. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. God bless you and your family.
Sending the family my most sincere condolences, reading about his life gave a sense of the man. In not having the privilege to know him, I know some of his family, and I can understand the great loss. May he Rest In Peace and will pray that his family will find peace.
Our deepest condolences for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this very difficult and sad time.
From Guido and Maria Abate: sending our heartfelt condolences. Keeping you all in our prayers.
Non dimenticherò mai la gentilezza e il buon animo di joe. Che Dio gli dia il riposo eterno e possa la vostra famiglia avere la forza per sopportare questo grande dolore. Vi sono vicino anche da così lontano. Le più sentite condoglianze da Andrea e lorena
So sorry for your loss. Joe was a cool guy for sure.
Rose, Teresa, Tanya and your families, our prayers are with you during this time.
God Bless.
Sincere condolences to you Rose, Teresa, Tanya and your families. Joe will be sorely missed. Soppressata season won’t be the same without him.
I know our family members up in heaven will welcome him with open arms.
God Bless you all.
My sincerest Condolences to Rose the children and grandchildren for this great loss. My sympathy and prayers are with you all during this period of grief and sorrow. However, take strength in moving forward each day the way Joe would have wanted and hoped for.
“Cugino” Joe was “one in a million”, boisterous and kind to a fault, we all will miss his great smile, grand heart and jovial demeanor to family and friends,
Non dimenticherò mai la gentilezza e il buon animo di joe. Che Dio gli dia il riposo eterno e possa la vostra famiglia avere la forza per sopportare questo grande dolore. Vi sono vicino anche da così lontano. Le più sentite condoglianze da Andrea e lorena
My deepest condolences to you and the family. My thoughts and prayers are with you all during this difficult time and I am sending you all my love xo
Beautiful obituary. We send our deepest condolences to you and your family. You have wonderful memories that will live on. We are there in spirit.
Our deepest condolences to your families…..Losing a father and a husband is the worst feeling . He will be in your hearts forever….our prayers are with you all during this sad time! 🙏🙏
Rose, Teresa, Tanya and families. Our deepest sympathy and condolences for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
God bless Joe🙏
Our deepest condolences to all the Marrelli family. You are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.
Dear Rose words are not enough to say how sorry we are. Keeping you all in our prayers for courage and strength through this difficult time. Joe definitely was one of a kind.
Dear Rose, Sending our deepest condolences to you and your family. May God give you courage and strength during this difficult time. He will always be with you in your heart. Joe will always be remembered as a kind and loving man.
All our love,
Antonio and Mattia Misasi
In questo momento le parole sarebbero superflue. La morte porta con sé un dolore che nessuno può guarire, ma l’amore lascia un ricordo che nessuno potrà mai rubare e con il cuore pesante, preghiamo per il riposo eterno di una, anzi oggi di due, persone straordinarie che ricorderò per sempre con amore ed affetto, anche se la distanza purtroppo non ci ha permesso di viverci e goderci. Tuttavia, saranno sempre nei nostri cuori.
Rose, Teresa, Tania, Mario e Jim sentite condoglianze.
To Rose, Teresa and Tanya. We hold you close in our thoughts and hope you know you can lean on us for whatever you may need. Sincere condolences. We will celebrate the life of Joe Marrelli.
Non esistono parole per poter colmare un dolore e un vuoto così grande. Non posso essere presente in questa triste giornata, ma il mio pensiero vi accompagna in questo terribile momento. Era un uomo meraviglioso, sempre solare e amorevole che vivrà per sempre nel mio cuore. Sincere condoglianze.
Our most deepest and sincere condolences to all the Marrelli Family.
May Joe rest I’n peace.
Our heartfelt condolences to Rose, Tania and Teresa and grandchildren and family for this great loss. Our sympathy and prayers are with you all during this period of grief and sorrow and may he give you Strength, Courage and Guidance to carry on. Joe was a truly amazing human being that was loved by all and will be truly missed. May he R.I.P.
Our deepest Heartfelt Condolences ..
Marie and John Rigitano
Our heartfelt condolences to Rose, Tania and Teresa and grandchildren and family for this great loss. Our sympathy and prayers are with you all during this period of grief and sorrow and may he give you Strength, Courage and Guidance to carry on. Joe was a truly amazing human being that was loved by all. May he R.I.P.
My deepest condolences . Our prayers are with you during this time.
My thoughts and prayers are with you Rose and your family. I wish you peace and comfort as your grieve.
Our heartfelt condolences to the entire family on the passing of a great man.
Our prayers are with you all during this difficult time.
Salvatore Maione
Peter & Monica Maione
Angela & Tony Carpino
Dear Rose, Teresa, Tania and the entire Marrelli family. Our sincerest condolences to you all. Joe will always be remembered as a man with a big heart, beautiful smile and most contagious laughter. My childhood will always be remembered at the times spent at your home on Floyd. May he rest in peace and may he now join all the wonderful family members that went before him. Love and prayers to you all. No matter how far apart we are or how many times we have been able to see each other, you and the family will always be near and dear to our hearts. Love Josie and Justin Ainsworth
Our deepest condolences to you Rose and your family.
Joe always had a smile on his face and was always genuinely happy.
It breaks our hearts that you have to go through this at this time. Take comfort in your memories of him as this will bring you peace and always remember you have your family and friends to support you.
Our prayers and thoughts are with you.
Rose, Tania, Teresa and all the family, my deepest and sincerest sympathy. I am so sorry for your loss. Joe is no longer here with you physically but he is now always near each one of you in prayer and spirit. Remember the good times and treasure them, share them, laugh. That’s what Joe would want. Continue the legacy he has left you, just as he showed and taught you. May God grant him eternal rest. May Mother Mary, cover you all with Her Mantle love giving you the strength you need to get through one day at a time.
Tanina Foti
Condoglianze. Famiglia Bonaccorso e Perfetti.
Condoglianze. Lena e Cenzino.
Dearest Rose, Teresa & Tania. Our deepest condolences to your family. We will all miss Joe’s warmth, infectious laughter and hearty chuckles.
May God comfort your family in this difficult time.
We are here for you.
Sam, Giselle, M&M
Sincere condolences to Rose and the family. Hearts and prayers are with you.
Such a well written obituary. It depicted Joe so well. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire family. Hugs to Rose an the girls. Jimmy, Tony and Mario we are thinking of you guys.
JOE You Were one of kind . Great host when we came over your goddaughter Francesca will you . R.I.P. my dear cousin and compare
Dear Teresa and Tania and Families and the entire Marrelli Family,
It is with deep sadness that we express our heartfelt condolences to you and your family and extended family. I have just come to know the sad news of the passing of your father. He was such a charismatic and loving human being, always with a smile and a jokester. I will always remember the time he had delivered rocks to our home and jokingly said in Italian “you actually paid for rocks?” Those rocks are now a reminder of him and will cherish his memory. He will be missed, but never forgotten.
Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and although nothing can ease the pain you all are feeling, may it comfort you to know that he is watching over you and will always be with you. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you. May his spirit give you the strength to carry on.
Our deepest and sincere condolences to you all. May he rest in peace.
Lily Messina and Family