November 13, 1924 – April 13, 2015
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Amalia Tancon on April 13, 2015 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Comox. Amalia (nee Adami) was born November 13, 1924 in the village of Gares in the Dolomite Alps of Northeastern Italy. She married Ottorino Alberto Tancon in 1947 and moved to his town of Canale D’Agordo where 4 sons were born. Her husband immigrated to Canada in 1951 to find work, and Amalia with 4 boys joined him in Ocean Falls, BC in 1956. They were blessed with 5 more children and had many happy years in that thriving paper mill community.
Amalia was a woman of strong faith that saw her through some very difficult times, including the loss of her husband to cancer in 1970 at just 49 years old, and the loss of their son Bruno Robert in 1996. She was the true matriarch of the family- strong, loving and passionate. Moving her family to Campbell River in 1971, she learned to drive and went to work to support her youngest children. She bought a house and lived there independently for 43 years until 2014, when her health began to fail. Grateful thanks to Frank and Wendy who cared for her in their home until she needed extended care.
Amalia is survived by her sons Paolo (Joanna), Gino (Catherine), Federico (Bev), Renato (Chris), Franco (Wendy), Mario (Melodie), Daniele (Angela), and her only daughter Maria Matheson (Neil). Amalia leaves a legacy of many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who thrived on her love and Italian cooking. She was much loved by her large family and many friends and will be greatly missed. The family would like to thank Dr. Brian Carswell, her physician of many years, as well as the staff of Campbell River and District General Hospital, Dr. Matt Robertson and the staff of Oceanview Extended Care at St. Joseph’s Hospital, for their compassionate care of Amalia in her final few months. Thanks also to Mario for lovingly providing her with many home cooked meals.
Amalia’s funeral service will held in Campbell River at St Patrick’s Catholic Church on Friday, April 24, at 11:00 am.