It is with sorrow that we announce the passing of our much-loved father and Nonno Salvatore in his 95th year. He was predeceased by his precious daughter Lia in 1991, and by his parents and two siblings. He will be sadly missed by his beloved wife of 64 years, Maria, loving daughter Anna, son-in-law Ken, beloved grand-children Lia, Kayla, and Lachlan, brothers Umberto and Vittorio, extended family living in Italy, and all his friends.
Salvatore was born in Naples, Italy as fireworks were going off and the New Year was being rung in. He lived in a vivacious city during some hard times, which taught him resiliency, perseverance, and experiences that would lead to 95 wonderful years of life. In his early twenties, he went to work in England and then immigrated to Canada where he worked many years in the forests, railway, and mines. He worked extremely hard, made many sacrifices, and always continued to help family members back home.
After moving his wife Maria and daughter Lia from Naples to Vancouver in 1966, he began his career at Shaughnessy hospital as a custodial engineer. He went by the name of Sam and was loved by all. Mealtime was always a special time at the Cuomo household and often we would be joined by co-workers or friends that he knew were alone.
Salvatore’s joy in life was his family and most of all his 3 beautiful grandchildren. He enjoyed the simple things of life each and every day and taught us all that is important in life. He was an extremely intelligent, quiet, and reserved person, but anyone who really knew him would know how selfless, generous, supportive, and loving he was. He also had this amazing strength about him that seemed to carry him through any challenge in life. He was our rock.
We will greatly miss you but you and your legacy will remain in our hearts forever.
A Funeral Mass for Salvatore will be held at St. Helen’s Parish Church, 3860 Triumph St in Burnaby on Thursday, July 22, 2021, at 11:00 am. Following, he will be laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Creekside Mausoleum.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Burnaby Hospital Foundation.
Thank you to all the staff of hospital ward 4WB for all their compassionate care.