John (Gianni) Angelo Ircandia passed away surrounded by family and loved ones on his birthday, July 1st, at the age of 92 years.
John was born in the town of Castions, di Zoppola, in the region of Friuli, Italy in 1927 and immigrated to Canada with his mother and sister, Velia (LeRose), joining his father in Trail in 1937. The family grew in Canada with the addition of younger sister, Patsy (Mazzei).
Growing up in Trail, John was an accomplished athlete excelling in hockey, baseball and softball. Later in life, John became an avid golfer and spent many of his later years enjoying time on the links. Following graduation, John earned a trade at Cominco (now Teck) where he spent the majority of his working career. He retired from Teck as Senior Job Evaluator in its Human Resources Department.
John was extremely active in the community having served as Trail's Recreation Director and as a city councillor. He was also active for many years in the Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees), having been elected as its Vice President for the province of British Columbia. John was a longtime member of the Trail Golf and Country Club. In addition, he was a proud and revered, lifetime member and former president of the Cristoforo Colombo Lodge.
John married the love of his life, Lydia Ann Sammartino in 1950. They enjoyed almost 60 years of marriage and until her death were an iconic, dynamic, and much beloved "power couple" in the community. Their home was always a welcome oasis for family and friends. John and Lydia enjoyed numerous travels with friends and family all over the United States and Canada, but highlights were trips to Italy and as John described it, "heaven on earth", Maui.
John and Lydia had three children, John (Laurie) in Calgary, Leonard (Coral) in Kelowna and Paula Richards (Don) in Vancouver. They had seven grandchildren, Lea, Michael, Carly Byron (Bradyn), Vincent (Amelia), Matthew (Meagan), Olivia and Sean. They had five great grandchildren, Ian, Arlo, Jude, Lorenzo and Eleonora. It would not be an overstatement to say that to their grandchildren, Nonno and Nonna were "the best grandparents ever".
John was devastated by the loss of his beloved wife, Lydia, but persevered and found some solace spending considerable time with family and friends. He was able to experience the joy of participating in the graduations and weddings of grandchildren and the birth of great grandchildren, always with a tear in his eye while remarking "Lydia should be here; she would have loved this".
John was fortunate in his later years to enjoy the comradeship of the residents of Mountainside Village in Fruitvale. The extraordinary care and company of John and Sue Turco and the entire staff was greatly appreciated.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, July 3rd at 1 pm at Holy Trinity Catholic Parish in Trail followed by a reception in the Gathering Room. Bill Clark 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.
Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Services