Egidio Luciano Mussio passed away peacefully at Bluewater Health on Sunday, June 29, 2025 at the age of 90.

Born in Zoppola, Pordenone, Egidio was a proud Furlan whose roots in that ancient Italian region shaped his character throughout his long life. In 1953, at nineteen, he embarked on the transatlantic journey that would define his destiny, emigrating via Quebec City to Windsor, Ontario, where he joined the vibrant Italian Canadian community in the heart of an expanding automobile industry.

After meeting his future wife in Italy before he left, and keeping the flame alive via correspondence for five years, he married Vittorina Pighin at St. Angela Merici Church in 1959. The couple eventually moved to Sarnia, where Egidio excelled as a boilermaker in the growing petrochemical industry. Through Sarnia’s sprawling refineries and chemical facilities, he forged a respected career, applying his engineering mind to complex industrial processes, rising through the ranks of the skilled trades. This was hard and sometimes dangerous work, but it offered many opportunities.

Devoted to Canada’s promise of reward for hard work, Egidio and Vittorina welcomed son Laurence in 1964 and daughter Louise in 1968. Yet ties to his beloved Friuli Venezia-Giulia never faded—annual sojourns to Pordenone later in life made the couple familiar faces along the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, where they visited often.

A meticulous craftsman and proud member of the Boilermakers International, Egidio valued precision and creativity. Possessed of dry Friulano wit and insight, he maintained a perspective that was often wickedly hilarious.

Egidio was a pioneer amateur photographer and videographer who captured remarkable scenes of postwar 1960s Italy and the immigrant experience with his early 8mm video camera. A connoisseur of fine automobiles with encyclopedic knowledge of motors, he made any engine live far beyond its expected lifespan.

He was a skilled gardener, but insisted that this accomplishment never appear in his obituary, saying that “every Italian who dies apparently grew tomatoes.” Yet his legendary primo taglio compels us to honour this gift despite his protestations.

Until 2024, he was hardly ever ill. A major operation and cancer diagnosis at eighty-nine initiated his final challenges, which he confronted bravely through pain which is now left far behind. His Catholic faith sustained him during this difficult time.

He is survived by his beloved wife of sixty-six years, Vittorina, son Laurence and daughter Louise, daughter-in-law Flavia, sisters Alcide and Giuliana and numerous nieces and nephews across Canada, the United States, and Italy. On Vittorina’s side, he is survived by sister-in-law Maria Pighin and brother-in-law Monsignor Bruno Fabio Pighin, along with their nieces and nephews.

He is pre-deceased by his parents Basilio and Giuditta, sisters the two Normas (died as infants), brothers Federico and Mariano (died in childhood), sisters Anita and Tersilla, and brothers Osvaldo and Roberto.

The family expresses sincere appreciation for the superb palliative care delivered by Dr. David Kim, his nurse and counsellor Blaine McLellan, and the dedicated staff of the Palliative Care Unit at Bluewater Hospital, who ensured his journey home was conducted with minimal pain and maximum dignity.

Special thanks to Sandra Tius, niece of Egidio, for her ongoing care and companionship, providing comfort and practical assistance in so many ways to the family.

Visitation will be held at McKenzie & Blundy Funeral Home & Cremation Centre, 431 N. Christina Street, Sarnia, on Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Benedict’s Church on Saturday, July 5, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Entombment will follow at Resurrection Mausoleum.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Bluewater Health Foundation Palliative Care Unit at www.bwhf.ca/donate.

Messages of condolence and memories may be left at www.mckenzieblundy.com.

Egidio was deeply loved and will be dearly missed. Until we meet again.

Memories and notes of condolence may be shared at McKenzie & Blundy Funeral Home & Cremation Centre.