We regret to advise of the death of Corporal Luigi DiClemente (Ret'd) on Saturday, 6 March 2021 at age 79 at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto ON where he was living in the Dorothy Macham Home.
Luigi was born in Roccamorice, Pescara Abruzzo Italy and came to Canada as a youth with his three siblings. His Italian family called him ‘Gino.’ The family initially lived in Niagara Falls, ON but then moved to Toronto. Luigi attended McMurrich Junior and, as a teenager, delivered prescriptions for the local pharmacy and worked as a copy boy for The Toronto Star. Luigi's father sponsored and housed many of his and his wife's brothers and sisters and their children when they immigrated to Canada. One of Luigi’s responsibilities was to help his Italian cousins assimilate into the Canadian culture, help them with their English and to navigate the big city as they looked for jobs.
Luigi tried to join the Royal Canadian Engineers at age 18 but the recruiting officer sent him home, telling him: "It seems your parents need you more than we do." He was successful in enlisting in 1961. After completing his basic Field Engineer training at the Royal Canadian School of Military Engineering at Chilliwack BC in 1963, he was posted to 3 Field Squadron in Chilliwack.
On completion of his tour in Chilliwack, Luigi was posted to 4 Field Squadron in Werl Germany (1964-1967). He was posted next to 1 Field Squadron in Petawawa ON and he returned to Werl for his second tour with 4 Field Squadron (1969-1972) after this Petawawa tour.
Luigi retired from the Canadian Forces after his second 4 Field Squadron tour and returned to Canada. He worked in the Construction industry in Toronto for a few years and completed his apprenticeship training as an Electrician. He was a Journeyman Electrician when he moved to Belleville ON. In Belleville, Luigi initially worked for others before he started his own business, DC Electric, Ltd. He also attended Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational Institute and acquired his Fundamentals of Refrigeration, Phase II qualification. In 1993, Luigi moved to Abbotsford BC. He attended British Columbia Institute of Technology to upgrade his ticket to provincial status and ran a very successful business.
Viewing will be held at the Bernardo Funeral Home (2960 Dufferin Street in Toronto) from 9-12:00 AM on Monday, March 15. Due to Covid restrictions, the number of visitors at one time will be limited. Please RSVP on line . Funeral Mass will follow at St. Charles Borromeo Church, (81 Lawrence Avenue West, North York, ON). A second visitation will be held on Tuesday,16 March 2021 at the John R. Bush Funeral Home (80 Highland Avenue, Belleville, ON) from 9-11:00 AM. Please call in advance to register (613-968-5588). Interment at the St. James Cemetery, Belleville, ON will follow the service. Online condolences can be set to the funeral home. If you wish to make a donation in his memory, please consider the Dorothy Macham Centre.
