Elvira Spina
IN LOVING MEMORY
ELVIRA SPINA (nee Rogliano)
December 19, 1920 – June 29, 2010
Elvira Spina passed away peacefully on June 29, 2010 at the age of 89 years, surrounded by her loving family, once again united with her beloved husband Pasquale, who died over 30 years ago. Elvira was born on December 19, 1920 in Aprigliano, Cosenza, Italy, the 6th of 11 children born to Eugenio and Maria Rosa Rogliano.
She married Pasquale Spina in 1949, moving to the nearby town of Pietrafitta. Elvira immigrated to Canada in June of 1957 with her young daughter Alba to join Pasquale who had immigrated earlier.
Elvira was blessed with talented hands and was an expert in all types of needlework and embroidery. She loved to cook and bake and especially loved to make intricate pastries. She also enjoyed maintaining a beautiful garden and spent many hours tending to the flowers surrounding her home.
She was a devout member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church attending daily mass until her health deteriorated. She was a member of the Catholic Women’s League since 1958 and an auxiliary member of the Legion of Mary.
She will be missed and forever remembered by her daughters Alba (Joe) Caputo and Anna (Scott) Wright, her grandchildren, Rosie (Dan) Worsfold, Ellie (Beau) Bradley, Frank (Odette) Caputo and Claudia Wright, great grandchildren Juliana and Noah Bradley and Andrew Worsfold. She is also survived by her brother Antonio Rogliano (Frances) of Kamloops and Angelina Bruno of Italy, her brother in law Luigi Bozzo of Sudbury, Ontario and her sisters in law Mira and Iva Rogliano and Gina Spina of Italy. She was a loving aunt and great aunt to numerous nieces and nephews.
Elvira was predeceased by her husband Pasquale on January 31, 1980, her parents Eugenio and Maria Rosa Rogliano and her brothers and sisters Salvatore, Marietta, Assunta, Saveria, Agatina, Emilio, Teresina and Vittorio.
We will never forget the stories she told, and the traditions she handed down – they let us know who we are. We will never forget the lessons she taught and things she stood for – they are her gift and her legacy. We will never forget her and will always know that we honour her every day in how we live and who we are.
The family extends our deepest gratitude to the dedicated staff at Ponderosa Lodge and Kamloops Seniors Village who cared for our mother with empathy, respect, humour and love. We send a special thank you to Dr. Raziya Mia and Dr. Doug Hamilton for their gentle and compassionate care over the many years.
Prayers will be recited on Friday, July 2, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in the church on Saturday, July 3, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. Entombment will follow at Evergreen Mausoleum.
The family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of donations to the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia, PO Box 277, Station M, Kamloops, BC V2C 5K6 (phone # 250 – 377 – 8200)
“Sei uscita dalla vita, ma non dalla nostra vita; non sei morta perche vivi nel nostro cuore.”
“You have gone from this life but not from our lives; you are not dead because you live within our hearts.”
Dear Alba and Family: I am deeply saddened by the loss of your mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend.
Alba, you and Joe and the rest of your family took such wonderful care of your mother and although I did not know her before she became ill, her obituary brings her to life and lets people know the the woman she once was.
You will forever treasure the time spent with your mother both before she went into Ponderosa and then Kamloops Senior Village. You will know in your hearts that you did everything possible to keep her comfortable and safe throughout her journey with Alzheimer’s and, most importantly, you will have no regrets that you could have done more. You couldn’t have and I firmly believe that in some part of her heart, she knew you were with her and loved you for every minute you spent with her.
I’m very sorry I will not be able to attend your mother’s funeral. I have company here from Calgary this weekend but please know my thoughts and prayers are with you and the family.
May God bless your mother and your family at this time.
Pat
My deepest sympathy in this time of sadness and loss.
Lina Piroddi