Obituary for Vittorio Bertagnolli
Vittorio “Victor” Bertagnolli passed away at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, Waterloo on January 5, 2021 at the age of 78. He passed peacefully, and rather suddenly, after just several days in the hospital and having been diagnosed with leukemia. Victor had told his family and nurses that he was ready to go, and God had the grace to take him quickly. He is now with God our Father and Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Victor was born on December 27, 1942 in Tret, Val Di Non, in the province of Trentino, Italy. Victor started his working life early, as a teenager, and learned his trade as a master bricklayer while working in Germany. In his early 20’s, after serving in the Italian military, Victor made the decision to go to work in Canada. He landed in Kitchener, Ontario by virtue of the fact that he spoke fluent German; Kitchener had a large population of German-speaking immigrants and the immigration agents directed him there. He was quick to find work as a bricklayer and save his money for an eventual return to Italy. In 1970 he went back to Italy to marry Bruna, whom he had known most of his life, having grown up together in the small village of Tret. After marrying, Victor and Bruna carried on their adventure to Canada, and returned to Kitchener where they raised three daughters Irene, Gloria and Anna. After spending his earlier working years in construction, in 1985 Victor joined The Waterloo Inn as their Director of Engineering, where he worked for the rest of his career, retiring at the age of 65. Over the years, Victor’s passions included bicycling and hunting. At his peak, Victor would take 100+ kilometer bike rides, disappearing for hours while enjoying pushing himself physically. Hunting has also been a lifelong pursuit, done with friends who delighted in time spent together in nature.
Over his lifetime, Victor carefully nurtured a large, caring and devoted community of friends. Victor was well loved by his many co-workers at The Waterloo Inn; Victor cherished these friendships and kept in close contact with his co-workers well after retirement and until the end. Victor also cared deeply for his close knit group of lifelong Italian-Canadian friends, many of whom he befriended more than 40-50 years ago, shortly after arriving in Canada. For many years, Victor enjoyed the fellowship of his Gruppo Alpini (for whom he served as past President of the Kitchener-Waterloo chapter), hosting and attending many parties celebrating the tradition and heritage of military service in northern Italy with fellow former soldiers. Also, Victor was a friendly and helpful neighbor to every home adjacent to his home of 37 years, always on the lookout for opportunities to help his neighbors and ready to solve a problem. Above all, Victor was passionate about family. For Victor, time spent with family was paramount. He delighted in being surrounded by his family, travelling with family, watching his family grow, and being confident in the knowledge that his family deeply loved and supported one another. For Victor, having built the foundation of a strong and loving family was the ultimate success. Victor is survived by his wife of almost 51 years, Bruna; daughter and son-in-law Irene and Peter Keller, daughter and son-in-law Gloria and Nick Ryan, daughter and son-in-law Anna and Mike Apostolopoulos; 7 grandchildren James Apostolopoulos, Mia Apostolopoulos, Madalena Keller, Vito Apostolopoulos, Max Ryan, William Keller and Sam Ryan; sisters Maria and Lisa; and 16 nieces and nephews Simonetta, Manuela, Sylvie, Claudio, Christian, Manuel, Maria Gisela, Adolfina, Domenico, Helga, Massimo, Rosa Christina, Stefano, Luigino, Martino and Eleonora. Victor also leaves behind a huge community of lifelong and beloved friends here in Canada, and in Italy. Victor will be remembered for his love of friends and family, his endless willingness to lend a hand, his integrity in all things big and small, and a great sense of humor. His humility coupled with a zest for life always put him in the middle of a party but never the center of attention. Due to Covid 19 restrictions, an invitation only visitation will be held on Saturday January 23, 2021 from 1-5 p.m at the Graham A. Giddy Funeral Home ( 617 King Street N, Waterloo ) 519-8888-7700. A private family funeral will be held on Sunday January 24th at 1p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Fr. Alex Masur officiating. Cremation has already taken place. Please feel free to join us in celebrating Victor's life by streaming the service, please follow the attached link at http://www.livememorialservices.com/Home/ServiceDetail/9604
Donations to the Grand River Cancer Centre would be appreciated by the family and can be made directly from the website.
Victor was born on December 27, 1942 in Tret, Val Di Non, in the province of Trentino, Italy. Victor started his working life early, as a teenager, and learned his trade as a master bricklayer while working in Germany. In his early 20’s, after serving in the Italian military, Victor made the decision to go to work in Canada. He landed in Kitchener, Ontario by virtue of the fact that he spoke fluent German; Kitchener had a large population of German-speaking immigrants and the immigration agents directed him there. He was quick to find work as a bricklayer and save his money for an eventual return to Italy. In 1970 he went back to Italy to marry Bruna, whom he had known most of his life, having grown up together in the small village of Tret. After marrying, Victor and Bruna carried on their adventure to Canada, and returned to Kitchener where they raised three daughters Irene, Gloria and Anna. After spending his earlier working years in construction, in 1985 Victor joined The Waterloo Inn as their Director of Engineering, where he worked for the rest of his career, retiring at the age of 65. Over the years, Victor’s passions included bicycling and hunting. At his peak, Victor would take 100+ kilometer bike rides, disappearing for hours while enjoying pushing himself physically. Hunting has also been a lifelong pursuit, done with friends who delighted in time spent together in nature.
Over his lifetime, Victor carefully nurtured a large, caring and devoted community of friends. Victor was well loved by his many co-workers at The Waterloo Inn; Victor cherished these friendships and kept in close contact with his co-workers well after retirement and until the end. Victor also cared deeply for his close knit group of lifelong Italian-Canadian friends, many of whom he befriended more than 40-50 years ago, shortly after arriving in Canada. For many years, Victor enjoyed the fellowship of his Gruppo Alpini (for whom he served as past President of the Kitchener-Waterloo chapter), hosting and attending many parties celebrating the tradition and heritage of military service in northern Italy with fellow former soldiers. Also, Victor was a friendly and helpful neighbor to every home adjacent to his home of 37 years, always on the lookout for opportunities to help his neighbors and ready to solve a problem. Above all, Victor was passionate about family. For Victor, time spent with family was paramount. He delighted in being surrounded by his family, travelling with family, watching his family grow, and being confident in the knowledge that his family deeply loved and supported one another. For Victor, having built the foundation of a strong and loving family was the ultimate success. Victor is survived by his wife of almost 51 years, Bruna; daughter and son-in-law Irene and Peter Keller, daughter and son-in-law Gloria and Nick Ryan, daughter and son-in-law Anna and Mike Apostolopoulos; 7 grandchildren James Apostolopoulos, Mia Apostolopoulos, Madalena Keller, Vito Apostolopoulos, Max Ryan, William Keller and Sam Ryan; sisters Maria and Lisa; and 16 nieces and nephews Simonetta, Manuela, Sylvie, Claudio, Christian, Manuel, Maria Gisela, Adolfina, Domenico, Helga, Massimo, Rosa Christina, Stefano, Luigino, Martino and Eleonora. Victor also leaves behind a huge community of lifelong and beloved friends here in Canada, and in Italy. Victor will be remembered for his love of friends and family, his endless willingness to lend a hand, his integrity in all things big and small, and a great sense of humor. His humility coupled with a zest for life always put him in the middle of a party but never the center of attention. Due to Covid 19 restrictions, an invitation only visitation will be held on Saturday January 23, 2021 from 1-5 p.m at the Graham A. Giddy Funeral Home ( 617 King Street N, Waterloo ) 519-8888-7700. A private family funeral will be held on Sunday January 24th at 1p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Fr. Alex Masur officiating. Cremation has already taken place. Please feel free to join us in celebrating Victor's life by streaming the service, please follow the attached link at http://www.livememorialservices.com/Home/ServiceDetail/9604
Donations to the Grand River Cancer Centre would be appreciated by the family and can be made directly from the website.