Mr. Francesco Facchin

Notre-Dame-des-neiges cemetery at 12h30pm

Francesco Facchin passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 20th in what was to be his 90^th year. He will be sadly missed by his wife, Vilma Rossi, with whom he shared his life for 64 years. Devoted father to Mira (Brian), Linda (Alberto) and much loved Nonno to Caitlin (Hadi), Sean (Marie-Eve), Julia, Laura and Stefano, and great-grandfather to Miles and Sofia, he will also be missed by his nieces, nephew, relatives and friends here and in Italy.

Francesco (Checu) came to Canada from his native Friuli in 1953. Although his beloved village of  Navarons, its mountains and its people were never far from his thoughts, he fully embraced his new life in Canada. When his 21 year-old bride-to-be joined him a year later, they quickly settled in to build a life for themselves and their daughters. As was typical of Italian newcomers in the 1950s, he started working as a laborer in the construction industry and was proud to say that he had worked on many of the iconic landmarks in and around Montreal, a city that he loved and that he knew like the back of his hand.

Dad came from a tiny village in the Dolomites where, as he said, people needed to help each other in order to get by. In Montreal, Francesco and Vilma found a supportive Friulano community of family and friends. They valued friendship greatly; people were often to be found around the kitchen table chatting at times with great intensity of “del piu e del meno” enhanced of course by the free flow of homemade vino. In Quebec, Dad also developed a passion for trout fishing and was known to compete with his sister Anita for the best spots on the river.

After retiring in his early sixties, Checu enjoyed watching his two sets of grandchildren grow, always keen to know what they were doing. Nonno never took for granted his good fortune in seeing his great-grandchildren. He liked nothing better than times spent with the whole family around the table for a delicious meal cooked by Nonna.  He would often look at her and say “We started off as two and now look at this table full of fine people!” He had a unique sense of humor, a way with words and imagery that drew people of all ages to him.

Recently, Dad told us that he had accomplished his life as best he could and was satisfied as a simple man with a simple dream of making a home and providing for his family. He accomplished this and so much more. Looking back, we can say that his journey was anything but simple and from it we have learned the values of courage, hard work and love of family.