Elena Guasparini passed away peacefully at Poplar Ridge Pavillion on March 24, 2016 a few months short of her 94th birthday. She took great comfort in her Catholic faith and attended mass regularly, including the past 3 years at Poplar Ridge Pavilion.
Elena was born in the small village of Cardoso, Province of Lucca, Tuscany Region, Italy. She came to Trail in 1951 with daughter Anna, together with her sister-in-law Oliva and children Ione and Sergio to join their husbands Giuseppe (Joe) and Renato who had arrived a year earlier. Son Roland and niece Lori were born later.
She was always happy to have moved to Canada where everyone had equal opportunity for education. Although she had only a few years of formal schooling, she was determined to learn English, so attended classes, studied hard and did lots of homework.
Family was the most important part of her life and she spoiled us all. She took great pride in following the progress of her children and grandchildren. She had a great passion and talent for baking, famous for her chocolate and cream of wheat tortas and numerous other Italian pastries. She always looked forward to making her family’s favourite ravioli, tortellini, cappelletti, gnocchi and fiorini (stuffed zucchini flowers) and also experimenting with new recipes.
She had a very outgoing personality and lived her life with enthusiasm and joy. She preferred to be outdoors picking wild mushrooms, asparagus and huckleberries or having picnics and playing bocce and cards with friends and relatives. She lived independently in her house until the age of 90 picking vegetables, raspberries, cherries, peaches and apricots from her well-tended garden. She also enjoyed bowling, fishing, golf, sewing, crotchet and knitting plus watching all sports. She loved her many bus trips to casinos and to visit her family, meeting and talking with new people along the way.
Elena is greatly missed by her daughter Anna Gabana, granddaughters Cori Gabana (Jamie Fitzgerald), Kim (Adam) Romano, great-grandchildren Hannah, Jacob and Ben; son Roland Guasparini (Judy Rezanson), grandson Joseph Guasparini (Ally Vincent).
Also survived by older brother Renato Tognetti, nieces Ione (Keith- deceased) Bennett and Lori (Ken) Helm, nephew Sergio Tognetti and families; niece Elena (Silvano) Monti and family in Italy and many cousins in both Canada and Italy.
She was predeceased by her husband Giuseppe (1984), son-in-law Raymond Gabana (2013), sister-in-law Oliva Tognetti, and in Italy her brother-in-law and sister-in-law Dani and Eni Guasparini.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 11:00 am from Holy Trinity Catholic Parish. Gwen Ziprick of Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Services has been entrusted with the arrangements. You are invited to leave a personal message of condolence by visiting the family’s register at www.myalternatives.ca
Special thanks to all the staff and volunteers at Poplar Ridge Pavilion for their outstanding care and loving attention to our mother for the past 3 years. As an expression of sympathy, donations made in Elena’s memory to Poplar Ridge Pavilion (1200 Hospital Bench, Trail, BC V1R 4M1) would be greatly appreciated.