Saul Furgiuele

Saul passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at Mackenzie Health at the age of 93.  Preceded in death by his beloved wife Francesca and loving daughter Lidia (Agha). Saul is survived by his children Sylvia, Dorina, Valerie, Rita (Brent), Teresa, Alex, Tony, Angela (Domenic), Lawrence (Laura) and Mark (Sheri). Cherished Pappa to Brandon, Nathaniel, Derek and Ava.  A devoted husband, father and until recently an active Concrete and Drain business operator, Saul was committed to quality in all his efforts.  He was generous with his time and skills and always willing to share the bounty from his garden, abilities and the knowledge of his expertise.  Saul was a gentle, kind and welcoming soul whose generosity will be missed and emulated by those he loved and loved him. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, March 13 , 2024 from 4pm-9pm at Westminster Reception Centre (5826 Bathurst St. North York). Funeral Services will be held on Thursday March 14, 2024 at 10:30 am in the Trillium Chapel of  Westminster, followed by interment on the cemetery  grounds.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a children's charity of your choice.

Thank you all for coming to celebrate and remember the huge life and love of Saul Furgiuele.

I’m Brandon, his first of four grandchildren and in my mind, his favorite. But I know that’s not true because he always said that he didn’t have favorites. But we know that’s not true either.

Saul came here from Rende, Italy in 1951, accompanied by his two brothers, Corry and Ronnie and his brother-inlaw Angelo. His father, Alessandro was already here in Canada waiting for their arrival. They didn’t travel here with much but they made sure that their future meals were secured by bringing with them bean and oregano seeds for their garden. These seeds have been planted every year since then and are still in the family.

Much of Saul’s colorful personality and passion for food was greatly influenced by his late mother, Francesca. His strong nurturing side came from his mom and he shared that with his children and grandchildren.

From his father, Alessandro came his work ethic and an unwavering standard of excellence in his work. As much as his father influenced him when it came to his trade, he managed to put his own creativity and flare to his work. His attention to detail with everything and how he always knew what needed to be done and what would be the most effective and efficient way to do it. He passed this work ethic on to his children when he went on from working for others and established his own family business.

From his beloved wife Francesca came his one great love and the blessing of 11 children. Together they instilled in their children the same core values and sense of family that they both shared. They also shared a commonality for great food and a sense of tradition that they proudly passed down to their children.

Saul took great pride in his appearance, always mindful of how he dressed. He had a pre occupation with his hair. So much so that he would often say “all these children and not one of you became a hair stylist”. Nanna’s spin was a little different. She would say, “all these daughters and not one of you became a Nun.

He would often reminisce about his early years and the loved ones who influenced his life. “Number 1” is how he described them. That’s exactly how he was also, Number 1, who stayed true to his integrity, without judgement towards others for theirs. He accepted people for who they were and would acknowledge and focus on the good in them. He stayed in his little part of the world and he filled it with love, family, many friends and a love for his work.

He was known for his anecdotal wisdom. When you went to him for advice he would often say something like , “if all the birds recognized grain we would all be starving” . Ill let you figure that one out .

Throughout the course of his lifetime, he faced many hardships and losses of loved ones and he did so with much grace and courage. The more recent losses of his wife Francesca and his daughter Lidia were more than he could bare. But he persevered with so much strength and dignity and he maintained his strong Faith to endure the years without them. He would always tell us that we have to push forward and to never give up because the “show must go on” and he showed us how. So, the show will go on but he’s a tough act to follow.

We feel so blessed to have been able to call him Dad and Papa and to have had him in our lives for as long as we did.

Know that if you had the pleasure of meeting him or if he offered you his ear, his smile, his infinite wisdom or the fruits of his garden, you too were blessed.