John Belo

Obituary

In loving memory of João Abraão Noel Fernandes Belo (known as John Belo)

John Belo died on October 25, 2022 at the age of 91 at Toronto General Hospital.

John was born on October 9, 1936 in Madeira, Portugal and was the last surviving of 6 children. He will now join his father, José Fernandes Belo, his mother, Leontina Maria Gomes Fernandes, his brothers, José Belo, Avelino Belo, and sisters, Maria Xavier, Verónica Cândido, Ester Fernandes, late wife Francelina Belo and many friends in Heaven.

He married Francelina Belo on May 8, 1958 at the age of 26. John and Francelina raised two daughters, Rosa and Susan, of whom he loved and was proud of. His greatest joy was being a grandfather to four grandchildren, Raquel, David, Ryan and Christine. He will be greatly missed by his family, daughters and son in laws (Rosa/David), (Susan/Joe), grandchildren and their partners (Raquel/Steve), (David/Andrea), Ryan, Christine and other family members and friends.

He was very ambitious as a young man wanting to leave the island of Madeira which at the time was very poor, not what it is today. He wanted to leave so badly that at 17 he got onto a ship to go to South Africa and changed his mind and left the ship before it sailed. Then 4 years later when he was accepted to come in the first immigration, his dad secured a loan from a wealthy uncle so that he could purchase a ticket to come to Canada.

He arrived in Halifax on the Nea Hellas steam ship at Pier 21 on June 2, 1953. He was the youngest pioneer coming from Madeira. He then was sent to Quebec to work on a dairy farm as you could not choose where to live. He found it very difficult with the cold weather, the language, and had very little to eat. He would go to town on Sundays to church and found a train station on his way. He was so unhappy that he purchased a ticket to Toronto and left in the middle of the night without the owners of the farm knowing. He ended up in Toronto and found a room, and struggled as he had no money for food and had not eaten in 3 days. He ran into a friend named Antonio Gomes in the Kensington market. He was crying and Antonio asked “why are you crying?” He told him of his situation feeling desperate. Antonio got him a job right away in a mushroom farm in Victoria Park. He was very grateful for his kindness. That was the start of his life in Canada working in labour intensive jobs his whole life, due to not having much education. Then he worked in the tobacco farm picking tobacco, many years as a Longshoreman and then finally at TTC, first in the construction department and then as a custodian until he retired at the age of 65.

The most important thing to John was his family…they were everything to him. He enjoyed his daily conversations with his daughters, talks with his grandchildren and friends. He would laugh when they would call him Mr. Rat, Big Rat, Old Fart and when Christine would ask him if he was working hard. He enjoyed making the traditional Espetada Madeirense (Madeiran Kebab) and his milho (polenta).

He loved gardening, going to St. Peter’s Church, going for his morning coffee to his favorite Portuguese bakery, then buying groceries to cook fresh food daily and let’s not forget his love of cigarettes from the age of 21. He enjoyed his yearly trips to Madeira Park with his family, while he could. He loved his naps every chance he could. He also loved to help others. Even in his eighties, he mowed and cleared the snow off his lawn and his neighbors. He loved and was truly loved by all.

He wanted security and lived a simple life. From the time he bought his first house he lived there until he was admitted to the hospital on October 6, 2022 from a fall and died at Toronto General Hospital October 25, 2022.

We would like to thank all his family and friends, too many to mention for being part of his life and a special thank you to the doctors and nurses at Toronto General Hospital.

John Belo will be greatly missed by his friends and family.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 from 2pm to 4pm and from 6pm to 8pm at Cardinal Funeral Home, 366 Bathurst Street and a Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 10am at St. Peter’s Church, 840 Bathurst St, Toronto, and proceeding to Beechwood Cemetery at 7241 Jane Street.

Donations to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) or Princess Margaret Hospital in memory of John Belo will be appreciated by the family.

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