Maria Lentini

"So be my passing!
My task accomplish'd and the long day done."
William Henley

My mother only knew how to work hard. She was the oldest daughter of 7 children and had virtually no schooling because she was needed to babysit her siblings at home and to help out on the family farm.

Those who saw her only as quiet and shy would have been surprised to see the strength, determination and will to live that was an integral part of her being.

She survived the loss of two children who died as infants.

She travelled by ship to Canada in mid-winter with four young children. She took in boarders for years to help supplement the family's income, and never complained.

She worked in the family hardware store with my dad. She decided late in life to get her Canadian citizenship and it was joyful watching her study the manual.

My parents were married for 64 years. My dad was a poet and great story teller and my mother became the perfect audience. Their marriage was a happy one, so when my dad died a big part of her heart died too. Her life changed overnight. She moved to Oakville to live with me and my family. Shortly thereafter she suffered cardiac failure and was on oxygen until she underwent major surgery to replace a heart valve and a double bypass at age 82. Despite long odds, she survived and was able to much improve her quality of life for more than 5 years.

She moved to the Post Inn Village and made many friends there, played bingo, attended BBQ's, gave cooking classes, and joined in on arts and craft classes as well.

My mother suffered a lot during her last few weeks, but she never lost her will to live; instead she fought as hard as she could.

I admired both her courage and her strength. A few days before her death, when her organs had started to shut down, she saw how distressed we were and she said that it was OK. If she died she would be at peace. "È la volontà di Dio." She ended up giving me comfort.

My mother died peacefully with Domenic holding her hand, with Kim and Valerie beside her and with me by her side telling her that she had been a good mother and that we loved her.

May she rest in peace, with my dad and other family members who passed before her.

In loving memory,
Rose