Obituary of Floyd Cacciavillani
Cacciavillani, Fiorentino “Floyd” Costantino
90 years, passed away peacefully with his loving wife of 67 years, Bruna, at his side, on Friday October 2, 2020 at Erie Shores Hospice, Leamington.
Floyd was born in Villa Canale, Italy and, like all immigrants, took a chance on a better life by coming to Canada. Despite their limited funds, when Floyd had gone as far as he could in the local school (grade 5), his parents recognized his abilities and scraped together enough money for room and board so that he could continue his studies in a nearby town. At the end of WWII, when the Germans retreated in haste from his town, they left behind wire in their command post — which Floyd soon put to good use. He used a book about electricity from the library to wire the family home so that they could have light – a single, bare, light bulb in the kitchen where the family gathered. After that, Floyd taught himself so many things! Higher education was the one thing Floyd felt he missed out on in life, so he often emphasized its importance to his children.
Floyd arrived at Canada’s Pier 21 in Halifax on his eighteenth birthday, June 18, 1948 and initially stayed with an uncle in Leamington. Upon arriving and seeing his uncle’s house completely lit up in the darkness, along with seeing his “fresh and green” lawn the next day, Floyd was certain that this was the right place for him to build a life.
Floyd first noticed his wife, Bruna, in Italy; she was barefoot and tending sheep. Even at a young age, Bruna was strong and self-reliant. He would have to wait for her to grow up because she was younger, but he decided right then that he would marry her. Their paths crossed again in Canada, they married and, together with their families, bought a farm in Leamington. He loved working and travelling with Bruna. He often said that she was his “Rock of Gibraltar” and that his love for her only increased as years went by. Floyd was always-loving father to Elvira, Ercole (Nina) and Jane; loving Nonno to Nicole Capogna (Ryan), Erica Coco (Anthony) and Cory; and loving great-grandfather to Alessandro and Rocco. He was a dear brother to Gino (Rosina), the late Silvia Mastronardi (the late Tony), John, Mery Savoni (the late Danny) and an infant brother, Gino.
Floyd was a stone mason and a bricklayer by trade, as well as a builder his entire life. He was a natural-born businessman who began with fruit and vegetable farming, then transitioned to greenhouse-grown tomatoes and transitioned again to growing seasonal flowers. He was recruited to sell greenhouses for Lord & Burnham and to sell generators for Pritchard Engineering. Together with family, he bought a pair of apartment buildings and then another one, until he finally built Fiore Tower Apartments which bears his name. That’s not all and he never stopped.
What kind of Italian is named Floyd? He was given the name by an immigration judge who found his Italian name to be too difficult. Floyd made friends wherever he went. He was genuine: he related to and connected effortlessly with all kinds of people. For example, after chatting with a U.S. senator on the steps of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the senator took Floyd and Bruna for lunch in the private Senate Dining Room. He was good friends with Gene Whelan, Minister of Agriculture and worked with him on solving farm issues. When Floyd met Mikhail Gorbachev, the former leader of the Soviet Union, he told him a joke. He was friends with another Floyd from whom he purchased automated seeding and planting equipment. When he visited Floyd at his home somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the scene he pulled up on was quite unusual. It included a cabin, a couple of Cadillacs and most memorably, quite a few snake skins hanging on a line. This Floyd hunted snakes for food! At another time, he and Bruna hit it off with a driver who took them to visit some of their offshore workers in their island homes. They had a great time and ended up having dinner at the home of the driver, too. They always had a lot of fun.
Floyd enjoyed helping the Italian community, as well as the larger Leamington community. He was a founding member of the Roma Club and active with the club for many years. He helped new immigrants who couldn’t speak English or farmers who needed help with loan applications. He went to doctors’ appointments, was on call for emergencies and listened when someone needed an ear. He volunteered many years on the hospital board, starting on the building committee (supervising the installation of air conditioning) and ending as the chair of the board. He won countless awards including a Queen’s Jubilee medal and the Multicultural Council’s Harmony Award. He was even a match-maker for a very successful marriage. Floyd loved people and his town. He was involved and invested.
Floyd is predeceased by his parents, Corrado and Elvira Cacciavillani, his mother-in-law Fedela Mastronardi and his grandmother Silvia Vecchiarelli like a second mother to him. Nieces, nephews, cousins and friends also survive locally, as well as in Italy, Argentina, France, Alberta and the U.S.
Visiting at the Reid Funeral Home, 14 Russell Street Leamington on Tuesday 2-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Mass to celebrate Floyd’s life, from St. Michael’s Church, 29 Elliott Street Leamington on Wednesday October 7, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. Entombment Erie Memorial Gardens, Leamington. Due to COVID restrictions, Visitation and Funeral Mass are limited to a specific number of visitors at a time. Only those with an appointment will be allowed in. Please book an appointment online at www.reidfuneralhome.ca. to secure a designated time to pay your respects and attend the Funeral Mass. Everyone must wear a mask at Visitation and Funeral Mass. Memorial donations may be made by cheque to London Health Sciences Foundation Innovative Trans-catheter Valve Program, Erie Shores Hospice, or Erie Shores HealthCare Foundation.
Friends may send condolences, share stories, or make a charitable contribution at www.reidfuneralhome.ca.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Floyd
Cacciavillani 1930 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Leamington, Province: Ontario