Strangely enough, for a man who was so uncomplicated, he had a lot of names.  He was born Vito Nicola Sanseverino which at some point became Sanservino, signed his name Victor, but was most commonly known as just Nick.  He may have lived his life simply but he lived it fully and with heart.  Even into the final months of his long and fulfilled life we were learning new things about him.  He made his family proud to know him. We should remind ourselves to celebrate 99 years of a life well lived and loved.

Nick fulfilled many roles throughout his life:  Son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother-in-law, father-in-law, uncle, friend, and colleague.  He was also a great storyteller, gardener, card player, cowboy, bartender, railroad man, and he knew his way around a kitchen.  We could always count on him for jars of strawberry jam or tomatoes from the garden.  As a matter of fact, he was still picking his own strawberries into his nineties.  He was something of a renaissance man.  He put his back and his work ethic into whatever he turned his attention to.

Nick started life as the son of two Italian immigrants, Joseph and Filomena of Revelstoke, B.C.  Nick was the second child of seven children.  He often spoke of his mother’s excellent cooking and marveled at how she learned given that she was a very young woman when she married and left Italy.  Theirs was a boisterous family, full of life and character.  In later years they and their children stayed in touch and maintained close ties.

In  1937 Nick married Emily Vingo.  They made a good couple; as it turned out they were very compatible.  She counterbalanced his excitability with calm. Although at first his father-in-law was concerned that his daughter was marrying a fellow who was a little rough around the edges, he soon realized that his daughter was in good hands. Nick and Emily’s first home together was fully furnished with his savings when they arrived home from their honeymoon. Even after being married for sixty years he could still get agitated by the mere mention of an old boyfriend of hers.  In 1939 they welcomed the first of their three daughters, Karen and then followed by Trudy and Erica, who they nicknamed “Ricky”.  He remained very protective of his daughters all of his life.  As the years went by his family grew with grandchildren and then great-grandchildren.  His was a close-knit family.  Once again, he was surrounded by more girls.  He quite enjoyed that his only grandson went into the “family business” when he started working for the CPR.  Thankfully he had time to enjoy his two great-grandchildren and they had time to know him.

Nick made many friends both in Revelstoke and Vancouver.  He seemed to make friends wherever he went whether it was while working as a carman for the CPR, bowling, attending the many bingo halls that he and Emily frequented, shopping at Safeway, or just digging in his garden in the backyard.  He was charming and quick with a smile but he wasn’t known as a great conversationalist.  Telephone conversations with him often ended within less than thirty seconds and usually with a, “do you want to talk to Emily?”  When neighbours complimented him on his garden though, he didn’t mind “chewing the fat” over the fence awhile.  Nick never looked his age and got a big kick out of people who would say that he looked at least a decade younger than he actually was.  It was these times that a wee bit of vanity would shine through.  He also taught himself to play the mouth organ and he was pretty good at it.  Playing cards was another of his talents and he could often be heard quoting the expert “Hoyle” at every opportunity.

There are many words to describe Nick: Loyal, hard-working, funny, humble, loving, hard-nosed, mischievous, and thrifty (lets be honest, he was tight).  He thoroughly enjoyed getting a rise out of his daughter Karen by setting the bait with a remark she couldn’t possibly resist.  His other choice of victim was his brother Louie with whom he was close all of his adult life.  Nick loved to get him riled up and then watch his explosive response.  They had a bowling rivalry that lasted for decades.  He made his last trip to Revelstoke at the age of 98 to attend Louie’s memorial service.

Most importantly, Nick was a survivor.  He persevered through several health crises, the loss of his wife and daughter Trudy, his siblings, and friends.  He had the heart of a lion that just wouldn’t give up. He was one of a kind.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Augustine’s Church, 2028 West 7th Avenue, Tuesday, May 25th at 11:00a.m., Fr. Gordon Cook Celebrant. In lieu of flowers donations gratefully accepted to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.