VACCARO, Pasqualina 'Lina' - Passed away peacefully and surrounded by her loving family on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the blessed Virgin Mother of her native town of Cerzeto, Cosenza in Calabria, Italy on July 16, 2021.
She was born on August 28, 1951 to Silvio Cilento and Ida Cilento (neé Matrangolo).
She is survived by her brother Francesco Carmelo Cilento (Angela) and his daughter Elena Cilento (Steven); her children Francesco Vaccaro (Maria), Ivana Vaccaro Raviele (Antonio) and Ida Leonetti (Anthony); and, her grandchildren Giancarlo Robert Vaccaro, Paola Faria, Maia Caroline Raviele, Giulia Lina Raviele, Antonio Pasquale Raviele, Silvio Leonetti, and Victoria Leonetti.
Her husband Giancarlo Vaccaro, who predeceased her on September 9, 1980, remained in her heart, thoughts and words always.
At the age of 18, she left her parents and brother in Italy to join Giancarlo in Toronto, Canada where they started their young lives as a married couple. After only 10 years of marriage and three very young children, they were tragically parted.
Lina was not only a strong, loving and proud woman – she was selfless, honest, charitable and faithful to the very last moments of her life. She was relentlessly devoted to her parents, caring for them through sickness and old age; to her younger brother regardless of his age; and to her children and grandchildren, whom she absolutely adored and cherished. She never put herself first, but was the first to help; she never cared for riches, but was charitable even when she had very little; she loved with every ounce of her being and was loved even more in return.
Lina faced incredible challenges in her life, the final challenge being her ailing health. Lina fought with all of her strength, faith and desire to live, not for herself, but for her children and her grandchildren. Her selflessness and enduring love for her family will never be forgotten, are unlikely to be emulated, and will forever be celebrated by her surviving family and friends.
Visitation will be held at Bernardo Funeral Homes, Albion Chapel, Toronto on July 20, 2021. The funeral mass will take place at St. Jude's Parish 3265 Weston Road, Toronto on July 21, 2021 at 10:00am.
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