Guido

Our mom and dad raised us on the Italian immigrant journey and the dream. They were post WW2 immigrants. Our Toronto home at 386 Lauder Avenue was the backdrop for the magical transition that would take place. We were all becoming Canadian Italians while holding a warm heart for our Italian heritage. We were told of the sacrifices, and early bewilderment of a foreign land where few spoke Italian and the rest ate sweet white bread.  

Our mom Carmela Lupinacci was 17 years old when she left the port of Naples. Waving goodbye until there was no one left to see. It would be 14 days and nights before she would arrive at Pier 21. There she boarded a train and arrived exhausted and elated. Her first job was on River Street sewing powder puffs in a factory.  She was a trained seamstress and had a sewing machine in our basement, that spun dreams.   

Our father Pasquale Guido joined his beloved Carmelina a year and 6 months later. They married within 30 days. His family would never join him in the immigration exodus. He was always restless about that. His first job was laying down sod in Mimico. He eventually got a job at the iconic factory Tip Top Tailors on Lakeshore Blvd. There he pressed suits.  He was a union man and worked piece work for 25 years until he became a floor supervisor. They raised three children and had five grandchildren that would spin dreams beyond their imagination.