Silvio Pirillo

It is with much sadness that we announce the passing of our uncle Silvio Joe Pirillo, born in Vancouver, January 13, 1928. He was the son of immigrant parents Domonic and Gaetana Pirillo, both born in Mongone, Italy. His older brother Mario and his beloved younger sister Mary, my mother, both passed away several years before him. My uncle Mario passed at the age of 61 in Cozensa, Italy, and his sister Mary at the age of 81 here in Vancouver.

As a young child, Silvio and his family lived in a beautiful home built by my grandfather with horse and carriage in the 1920’s. Today this would be known as the Strathcona area where he also attended Strathcona high school along with his siblings. He also worked at his father’s tobacco shop located on Hastings Street just blocks away from the iconic department store Woodwards. He would always say, “those were the days”, the best days filled with his Mansoeto family and cousins and the many friends that would drop in at all hours of the day, to enjoy a glass of my grandfather's homemade wine and share a meal together. Those were the days, a time where doors were left unlocked, gardens fed your families, stoves were fueled by coal, and the radio was the main source of entertainment.

723 Union Street was the home that my uncle grew up in. Although he had been in a long-term relationship for many years, he never married and continued living with his parents until they moved to 2797 Williams Street in East Vancouver in 1974. Sadly, my grandmother died in May of that same year. Her sudden passing left my uncle alone to care for his 94-year-old father who required much assistance. It was at this time and upon the insistence of my mother and I that they would move into our home with us and both my mother and uncle would care for their father together. My grandfather did not live long and passed away in December of that year. Once again, my mother and I insisted that my uncle continue living with us at our Charles Street home. There he would happily remain with us and later with them for over a span of 4 decades.

In those early years, he loved spending time with our very special family friends the Mantines who lived just down the block from us on Charles Street. Frank Mantine was my uncle's best friend. They would see each other every Tuesday and Thursday without fail until Frank's early passing in 1969. In 2014, my mother passed away and shortly after, Paul and I decided to move our family to North Vancouver. My uncle had begun helping my father while the two of them lived together after my mother's passing. It was at that point that we decided to bring both Silvio and my beloved father Albert into our home with us, where they shared a suite until my father passed away in 2022.

Silvio was loyal to a fault and extremely protective of all those he loved. Throughout his life, he cared for many of his family members through great adversity and illness. He also loved animals and cared for many strays over the years that would later become household pets. His love of music, especially jazz and ragtime, were such a big part of his life, often listening to his favorites, Louis Armstrong and Scott Joplin. He was an avid collector of stamps and coins, loved to cook, especially Sunday dinners and loved to garden. He especially loved walking either alone or with his friend Salvatore through the neighborhood streets rain or shine. He was employed by E.A. Morris which later became Cormark Industries for over 35 years. He was a distribution warehouse manager and received the award for outstanding service just before retiring at the age of 57.

Silvio was a very well-read intellectual man who almost to the end of his life could converse on any subject from politics to the financial markets to world affairs. He also had a sense of humor that would come out of nowhere when you least expected it and always leave you smiling. Sil was a very simple man who loved talking and reminiscing on what he often referred to as “ the good old days. He loved to tell us stories of growing up during the depression and the second world war. He often said that the fifties were the best years of his life until our children Michael and Vanessa were born and brought a different kind of happiness into his world. Over the years, he had incredible relationships with both that he would nurture right up until his death.

Sil, there are no words that can adequately describe the love and the gratitude I feel for you. You were more than an uncle; you were like a father to me my entire life and I will be forever grateful for your example of love. Thank you for all you did for your brother, your father, my mum and dad and my family. I love you so much Sil but I know that 98 years of life is a long time and that you were tired and ready to go. Now you are at peace with God and all your family and friends that have gone before you. I too am at peace, knowing we were with you till the end holding your hands until you took your final breath. Enjoy your reward in heaven for the goodness you have lived, for the lives you have cared for, and for the enduring love and generosity you have left us all. You will forever live in our hearts, and I know you will be watching over us from above as you did while you were here. As nanny would say "Love you to the moon and back” until we meet again.

I would like to thank my daughter Vanessa and especially my son Michael for the incredible support they gave to both of us, during this very sad and difficult time in our lives. I would also like to thank my son-in-law, Andryi for all his support and for the special friendship he shared with Sil over the years. My uncle truly loved him as his own.

Lastly, I would like to thank my husband Paul for bringing both my uncle and my father into our home so together they could enjoy the many Christmases, dinners, and holiday celebrations that we were all able to share. For the joy of living with our three beautiful dogs, and for the comfort of knowing they were safe and never alone. Mostly, I would like to thank my husband for all his support throughout these often very challenging years.

Today we say goodbye to you. 

We salute your elegance, your good heart, your magical presence. 

Despite the great distance, your affection brought us closer together as if in a big hug. 

                      You were a brother to your sister-in-law Cecilia, a great example of righteousness for all of us nephew,                                               and your kindness will be an eternal guide. 

You leave behind a light and polite mark on life. 

This is not goodbye; wherever you are, you will always be in our hearts. 

Your niece Gaetana Pirillo with her husband Tullio La Valle and their children Vittorio and Daniele. 

Your niece Denise Pirillo with her husband Pietro Mendicino, their son Sante and his wife Mariassunta, and little ones Pietro and Nathan Mario.