Mrs. Rosa Mongillo

Obituary

Rosa Mongillo (nee Porto) of Toronto, ON Canada died at age 94 peacefully in her sleep at home.  Known lovingly as “Rosina,” she was born May 20, 1927 in Puglianello, Benevento, Italy to the late Maria Antonia Franco and Giuseppe Porto. In 1960, with her husband Giovanni and two older children, Carmina and Joseph, she arrived at Halifax harbor after a long sea voyage across the Atlantic. They settled with Giovanni’s extended family in Toronto, eventually moving to Montrose Avenue where Rosa lived for over 54 years.  With siblings dispersed across three continents – Australia, Europe, and South America, her 1995 trip to Australia to visit siblings, Guido, Pasquale and Maria, was a highlight of her life. Rosa will be remembered for her steady, kind and generous nature. Patient, proud, smart, and adventurous, she was our rock.  She had a strong sense of justice and a profound faith from which she drew her strength and perpetual positivity. She was a confidant to many who trusted her authenticity and appreciated her sound and measured advice. Her family was always her priority and she loved them all deeply.  As a working woman, she took in relatives from Italy seeking a better life in Canada. Her nephews Giuseppe and Luigi Stocchetti of Toronto both started out under Zia Rosina’s care. Years later it was Pietro Pucella moving from Montreal to Toronto.  When her parents could no longer care for themselves, Rosina brought them to the little house on Montrose where they remained until the end of their lives. Being able to care for them made Rosina especially happy, but her kindness was not limited to family. She was known for abundant and delicious meals. She served everyone and anyone who showed up in her kitchen from field laborers in Italy to professional hockey executives in Toronto. Her spaghetti sauce recipe was featured in an essay by Debby Waldman published in 2011 in Calgary’s City Palate magazine and again in 2012 in the anthology Italian Canadians at Table. Her strength and perseverance were on full display as she recovered from strokes and falls later in life – never refusing to give up, always pushing herself to regain her independence. Her children and grandchildren were inspired by her grit and resilience. Best of all was the sense of humor she maintained through it all! In addition to her parents, Rosina was predeceased by her husband of 58 years, Giovanni Mongillo, whom she married on December 7, 1947, her brothers Pietro (Italy), Antonio (Venezuela), Pasquale, Guido and sister, Maria (all of Australia) and her beloved daughter Carmina Marinelli (Toronto).  She is survived by her children Joseph Mongillo (Thess Ablao) of Toronto and Antonietta Mongillo (Scott Howson) of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, son-in-law, Antonio Marinelli of Toronto, grandchildren, Phil, John, Rose, Max, Rebekah and Joanna, and great-grandchildren, True, Arden, Cadence, Ellie and Jackson.

For those who would like to honor her memory with a gift, the family requests that donations be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.

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