How the Favali family settled in Kelowna, B.C.
Palmizio Oreste Favali and Luigia Lenzi were married in Filicaia, a hamlet in Camporgiano, Lucca, Tuscany, on August 21, 1921. Their first son, Francesco (Frank), was born in Filicaia, on August 19, 1922. When Luigia was pregnant with their second child, Palmizio left for Canada and settled in Kelowna. Luigia and the two boys were reunited with Palmizio in Kelowna in late 1929. They lived at 1226 St. Paul Street and had three more children. The Italian community was a very tight knit community and the Favali family was active in it. After relocating to Kelowna, Frank attended elementary school until grade seven. Then he joined his father in the plastering and stucco business, Favali and Sons. When the war broke out, Frank enlisted and was sent to a training camp in Kamloops, B.C. He met Elsie Comazzetto, a daughter of a local Italian dairy farmer. Prior to them getting married in Kamloops on September 2, 1946, Frank built a house for them on Richter Street in Kelowna. They lived in this house until 1953 when they moved to Kamloops and continued raising their family there. Frank worked in maintenance for a while and then started a plastering and stucco business with his brother, Mike. Frank and Elsie had four children; Linda born 1948 in Kelowna, Marlene born 1949 in Kamloops, Jane born 1960 in Kamloops and Glen born 1964 in Kamloops. Frank was an active member of the Elks Club and Elsie was active in the Royal Purple. No one ever left the Favali family household empty handed. Homemade sausages, wine, fresh baked goodies and fresh garden produce were always plentiful. Elsie was well known for her wonderful baking. They lived in their house until their deaths. Frank passed away November 23, 1994 and Elsie passed away September 27, 2015. They are interred in the Hillside Cemetery in Kamloops along with their daughter, Linda, who passed away September 12, 2010. Contributed by Marlene Potter, daughter.
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Mike was born in 1923 in Montebelluna, Veneto, Italy. Norma was born in 1927 in Miradolo, Mestre, Venice. Mike spent several years in the Italian army before making his way to Canada. In 1953, Mike returned from Canada and married Norma. On his second voyage to Canada, he left Genoa (May 25, 1955) on the SS Constitution. During this voyage, he met fellow barber, Mario Puppato. Mike made his way to Edmonton, Alberta. In 1964, Mike and Norma stopped to visit Mario in Kelowna, BC. They were on their way to Vancouver to adopt their son, Ricardo.
Two years later, Mario convinced Mike to move to Kelowna and join him in what would become Mario’s 4 Barbers (Puppato, Zol, Franchini and Durante) in the Shops Capri strip mall. Mike opened his own barber shop, Sir Barber, on Lawrence Avenue in 1976. Seven years later, Mario Puppato retired from his shop at Capri, but this was short lived. He began working for Mike at Sir Barber. Norma spent many years as a hairdresser, in the same building where Sir Barber was located. Mike was an avid Bocce player. He was one of several responsible for the establishment of the Parkinson Recreation Centre Bocce lanes. Later, with the aid of the City of Kelowna, he helped create and maintain the Bocce Club lanes near Rose Avenue. Mike was very proud of his park-like garden. He enjoyed visiting friends and neighbours and sharing his garden’s bounty with them. Mike was a clever joke teller, always having the perfect joke for each of his friends or clients. He enjoyed his home-made wine and Norma’s crunchy bread. Mike and Norma made many trips to attend events, such as the BC Summer Games in cities throughout British Columbia. They were active dancers. Mike passed away at Kelowna General Hospital on February 10, 2019, at the age of 96. Norma passed away peacefully on February 27, 2021 at the age of 94. They are survived by son Ricardo, two grand-daughters, Emily and Alyssa, and a large extended family. Contributed by D E Rampone, co-chair Kelowna Canadian Italian Club Heritage Committee Mattia, was born August 12, 1894, in San Giovanni di Casarsa, Province of Udine, Italy. He was one of four brothers and six sisters born to his father Giovanni Batista Culos and his mother Antonia Bertolini.
Mattia, was the first to leave Italy at a young age of eighteen, in September 1912, to find a better life in Canada. Since prospects for a bright future in Canada seemed assured, plans were always ongoing for other members of Mattia’s family in Italy to venture to this promising country. Brother Davide, sister Rosa, and their mother Antonia followed to Kelowna….brother Giovachino (Jack) and sister Catterina emigrated and settled in Prince Rupert……and brother Oswaldo making roots in Detroit, Michigan. Mattia’s journey began by train to La Havre France, then onto the French ship ‘Lorraine’ for a seven-day voyage to New York. He then travelled by train to Montreal, Quebec, then to Sicamous and Vernon, BC, where he boarded the paddle wheeler at Okanagan Landing, down the lake to Kelowna, BC, joining other courageous young men like himself who had arrived earlier. A couple of Mattia’s many opportunities had him working on the Kettle Valley Railway and Crawford Sawmill, which enabled him eventually to purchase a fifteen-acre farm on Gordon Drive, where the Evangel Church is now located. A few years later, Cestilia Bazzana left Italy to begin the same journey that Mattia took. They married on October 27, 1923, and built a life together on the farm, raising five beautiful children, Reno, Antonia, Louis, Gerti and Lena. Many other Italian families lived in the same area and called it the Mission Creek Italian District. An Italian Hall was built where everyone met for dances, box lunches, and social gatherings! Times were tough, but as hard working as the families were, they always took Sundays off, going to church in the morning, packing a big picnic, maybe driving to Canyon Creek, or Shuswap Falls with other Italian famiglias. Everything was closed on Sundays giving everyone time to relax, visit, and enjoy. Horse and buggy were the mode of transportation, until Mattia proudly purchased his first truck in 1944. Four years later, Kerosene lanterns were replaced by electricity and those hard times became easier! Mattia and Cestilia spent all their working life on this farm, retiring in 1960, selling the farm in 1961, and buying a house in town on Bowes Street, where the house still stands to this day. Sadly, Mattia had only one year in retirement before passing August, 1961. Cestilia lived for another twelve years, passing September 1973. Contributed by Gerti Bachmann (Nee Culos), daughter. Liz Cozzetto was my great-aunt, and I am blessed to have had the chance to learn from her, as she was a huge part of my up bringing and contributing to the person I am today. Born into a first generation Italian family, with seven brothers and sisters, in the cold mining town of Michel-Natal, BC, (now Sparwood), Liz worked hard to overcome the barriers of being a woman in the early 1940’s. She worked in odd jobs: washing clothes for the local bachelors, waitressing at The Coffee Corner cafe, which was located next to Porco’s pool hall, peeling and canning fruit at The Cannery. Later on in life, she volunteered for the local senior associations, where she called Bingo and worked in the kitchen.
Liz always had a smile, showed kindness and loved making sure that those around her were cared for. She was coined the “Coffee Counter Cutie” to the Kelowna Packers hockey team.” They always searched for the waitress with the infectious smile. Even though she never had kids of her own, she sponsored many children in third world countries and raised those within her own family. A natural leader, Liz was a whiz in the kitchen, making up traditional meals, for not only family and friends, but also for the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club (KCIC) functions. She was known to have a long table full of meatballs and a spare bed covered in fresh pasta. On Sundays, you could smell the sauce from outside her house, stewing beginning at 7 am. Her home was always open to those in need of a fresh percolated coffee and a good chat. Liz Cozzetto has left her legacy in this community. She was on the Executive Council and the first female president of the KCIC. She created the first all female KCIC Council that included other strong, hard working women: Bianca Ianfrancesco, Pearl Ghini and Rosann Nanci. Liz also contributed greatly to the club by working diligently to ensure the club had a hall, buying it from the Seniors Citizen’s Branch 76, which she was a member. Liz is a true example of a strong woman with morals and who exemplified what it is to be a well respected woman. Contributed by Francesca Pugliese Verges, great niece. Mario was born in September, 1939, to parents Umberto Cerminara and Chiara Fontera, in SevelIi, Sila, Crotone, Calabria, Italy. His brothers are Francesco, Vittorio and Geno. He has one sister, Rosa Maria. The Cerminara family moved to Edmonton in 1953.
Sharon Chouinard was born in May, 1945, to parents Peter Chouinard and Agnes Edna Minns, in Edmonton, Alberta. She had no siblings. Mario and Sharon were married in Edmonton, in 1966. On June, 1967 Mario and Sharon made the decision to leave Edmonton for a warmer climate. Mario had made a trip though Kelowna, BC, in 1962, and was impressed with the area. Mario and his brother, Francesco, made plans to move to Kelowna and open a Pizza shop, in the George Tinling complex of buildings, where Mission Park is now located. Their business proposal fell through, so Mario took a job with the City of Kelowna engineering department, where he remained until his retirement in 2004. Sharon was a hairdresser and worked for over 50 years at various places such as Sutherland Hills seniors home. For many years, Mario and Sharon enjoyed gardening, preserving hundreds of jars of fruit and vegetables from their Parsons Road home. In 1958, Mario bought his first guitar, and spent many years playing for local orchestras. For twenty years, Mario was a member of the Knights of Columbus choir, under the direction of Eric Buckley. They sang to audiences in many parts of British Columbia. Joining the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club in 1967, he was very proud to travel with the Club to Halifax, Nova Scotia, for the 1979 International Folkfest and to Expo 86 in Vancouver, BC. They left their Parsons Rd house in 2007 and have spent the following years condo living. Through the Parkinson’s Seniors Centre, they have enjoyed hiking and biking. Sharon and Mario had two children: Vince, who passed away at age 23, and Lisa who married Jim Strachan. They have two grandchildren. Contributed by D E Rampone, Co-Chair, Kelowna Canadian Italian Club Heritage Committee. Napoleon Peter Casorso was born on October 22, 1888 in the Okanagan Mission (Kelowna, BC), to parents Giovanni and Rosa Casorso. Alice Mabel Canty was born May 26, 1904 in Singapore, India, while her father was serving for the English Armed Forces. Alice had an interesting childhood, in that her father (widowed, remarried and having more children), sent Alice and her sister, Mary Ellen, off to Canada, as immigrant children. The girls lived with a family in Ladysmith, BC, until they finished school. Mary Ellen Canty, married George Sutherland, of Kelowna, BC.
Alice married and had a child, Betsy Levirs. When she came to the Casorso farm to work, she brought Betsy with her. Pete offered to adopt Betsy, however, Alice wouldn't agree to that. Pete and Alice were married on May 17, 1928 in Vancouver, BC. They had three children: Velma, 1929 (Bert Sperling), Barbara, 1931 (Neil McDonald), and Norma, 1935 (Donald Barker). They adopted a son, Kenneth at age 2, 1938 (Belva). Alice was an excellent cook, kept a great garden and liked to crochet and knit. She was particularly proud of keeping a clean house and of her precise laundry practices. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last. Alice went on to marry Dominco Lanfranco. They had two children: Ronald and Linda. They lived in the Qualicum Beach area of BC, with Dominico working as a long shore man and as a taxi driver. In 1905, Pete made plans to go to College in California. He was given the task of purchasing cattle for the family before he went. His Albertan cattle deal went a long way to establishing his reputation as an "investor with an astute sense of business". In 1909 , Pete and his brothers formed the Casorso Brothers company. They focused on farming, buying, selling and raising cattle and horses. In 1912, they expanded their business interest with the establishment of Casorso Brothers Meat Markets. By 1919, Pete became manager of the home ranch. Pete and his brother, Louis, planted grapes, in 1930, on the Casorso Road property. Pete was part of the Kelowna wine “Syndicate," a consortium launched in 1931. It was named Domestic Wine and By-Products which later became Calona Wines. When Pete retired in 1960, his vineyard was taken over by his daughter, Velma and her husband, Bert. Contributed by Susan Richardson, granddaughter. Louis John Casorso was born September 25, 1886, at the newly established Casorso Ranch (1884), at Okanagan Mission, British Columbia. He was the fifth child of Rosa Bevilacqua and Giovanni Casorso.
At a young age, Louis learned English, along with his parents and siblings. Louis helped his parents and siblings on the farm, where the Casorso family grew vegetables, onions, tobacco, wheat and raised cattle, sheep and hogs. Eventually they planted orchards and grew grapes. Caterina Dapavo was born November 23rd in Frinco, Asti, Piemonte, Italy. She was the daughter of Enrichetta Rampone and Germano Dapavo from Frinco. Caterina emigrated to Kelowna, BC, in 1904, along with her relatives, Antonio Risso and Domenico Rampone. Caterina's sister, Rosa, had preceded her in 1901, sister Maria arrived in 1905, followed by brother Davide (Dino) in 1927. Two brothers, Giovanni and Eugenio remained in Italy. In August 1908, Louis Casorso married Caterina Dapavo. Louis and Caterina had four children: Mary (1909), John (1911), Elizabeth (1913, died 1915) and August (1917). Louis, along with his father and brothers, began Casorso Brothers Limited in 1911, eventually establishing meat markets in Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton and Kamloops, BC. He was placed in charge of custom buying cattle and hogs for their four markets. Louis continued in this capacity until 1940, when he decided to farm full time. For many years, he share-cropped onion growing with the Naka family. Caterina worked at local packinghouses for many years. She was known as a quiet, kind, humble, hard working woman. Her family always held a special place in her life. Caterina attended Immaculate Conception Parish all of her life. For most of his adult life, Louis, and later his children, lived in the third Casorso home built in 1907. After serving in World War II, his son, August, and his English war bride, Muriel, joined him in this home. Then, along came seven children who loved living with their Grandpa. August worked with his father raising hogs, running the orchards and growing onions and vegetables. Louis was always welcoming to his daughter, Mary (Dick Bertoia), their six children, and son, John (Edith), and their daughter. Summers and holidays were always filled with family and visitors. He took great pride in his family and the Casorso farm. Louis, a very careful driver, could always be seen around Kelowna with a carload of grandchildren. He was a faithful Catholic and member of the Immaculate Conception Parish all of his life. Caterina Casorso died January 25, 1950, in Kelowna, at the age of 62. She is buried at the Kelowna City Cemetery. Louis John Casorso died August 2, 1969, in Kelowna, at the age of 82. He is buried at the Immaculate Conception Cemetery on Casorso Road. Contributed by Christine Casorso Schmidt, grand daughter. Joseph Casorso, an Okanagan's native, died in Kelowna General Hospital in the spring of 1960. Joe had the distinction of not only being born in Kelowna, BC, but of making his fortune within ten miles of where he was born. Joe's first experience of what hard work and shrewd management can do, in the way of bringing financial success, came as a result of the family's venture into growing onions.
In 1910, Joe strayed briefly from farming into horse racing. In spite of an early financial success with horse racing, Joe could see that as a method of making a fortune, horse racing had too much chance attached to it, so he sold the horse. His next venture was in the retail meat business. He tried to persuade his father that the family should set up a family butcher shop and sell the farm livestock direct to the consumer. Some three hundred Kelowna citizens promised their patronage if Casorso's would open a butcher shop. Some of Joe's foresight shows up very clearly in this meat retailing enterprise. Instead of renting a little shop space somewhere on the main street and trying to get along on a shoestring, they built a large two storey building and included an ice plant in it. The ice plant was not just big enough to keep the meat cool, it was big enough to keep every ice box in Kelowna full and supply all the ice for icing the railway cars, that took fruit out of Kelowna, for the next twenty years. When World War I broke out in 1914 the economic life of Kelowna practically came to a standstill. No new settlers came in and a quarter of the male population of the area joined up to go overseas. Had it not been for the whole hearted co-operation of the citizens of Kelowna, the Casorso Meat enterprise might have folded. Toward the middle of the war, things picked up. Joe was a genius at the retail business, but it was too slow for him. He wanted room to make bigger deals on his own, unhampered by family participation. In the early 1920s, he turned the management of the Meat Market over to others and went after bigger game. Joe had a go at the vegetable business. Nothing spectacular came of the vegetables so he bought a sixteen acre apple orchard in Rutland. His next venture was to buy the Belgo Land and Orchard Company, a hundred acres of orchard land with a thousand acres or so of range land and hay. This hay and range land later became his Black Mountain Cattle and Sheep ranch. Thereafter, he concentrated his attention on developing his Black Mountain cattle ranch and buying land. His wife, Ethel Winship, who died in 1946, was a New Zealander. She persuaded him to go in for sheep and sheep became one of his most profitable enterprises besides being the one that gave him most enjoyment. Adapted from an article by Nigel Pooley, in the 24th Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, 1960. Felix Humbert Casorso was born in Okanagan Mission, BC, in 1890. He was the sixth son of Giovanni and Rosa Casorso. Veronica Reiter was born in 1915 in Ireland, to Henry and Veronica Reiter. Felix and Veronica were married on July 2, 1942. He and Ronnie raised five daughters: Kay, Betsy, Diane, Anita and Nadine.
Felix was the penultimate horseman and rancher. By age 13, he was a part of a cattle drive in BC, from Kelowna to the mining camps at Williams Lake. He would also capture wild horses in Wild Horse Canyon, near Naramata. Felix owned race horses and would take part in the yearly Suicide Race down Knox Mountain. He also participated in the Kelowna Rodeo during the 1940s and 1950s, as ringmaster. Felix proudly took home trophies in local marksman competitions. He also played a role in the development of the Black Mountain Irrigation District. In 1909, the Belgo-Canadian Fruit Land Company built a hunting/guide lodge on land it had earlier acquired in the hills east of Kelowna (Currently at the corner of Highway 33 East and Loseth Road). The lodge was built with a sitting room and dining area, separated by large sliding doors. Upstairs, there were nine guest rooms. When the First World War broke out in 1914, Company officials returned to Belgium and never came back to Canada. In the early 1920s, Felix and brother, Joe Casorso, bought this land for back taxes. Here, they formed the Black Mountain Cattle Company. The lodge was used as a bunkhouse for farm workers and later became Felix’s home. The ranch was mostly self-sufficient. Whether it was growing, harvesting, storing or marketing, the Casorso philosophy was to handle all aspects of their farming operation by themselves. There was a blacksmith shop, equipment shed, a shop, a bunkhouse, and the usual farm buildings such as chicken house, tack shop, and stables. There was a smokehouse for smoking sausages, hams and bacon. During its prime, the ranch was home to about 2,000 cattle, 3,000 sheep, 500 horses and 100 pigs. There were a dozen caboose wagons that provided accommodation for the shepherds. Acres of grapes and tobacco grew on the south slopes of Joe Rich Road. Potatoes were grown on the slopes of Trail Mountain. (now Kirschner Mountain subdivision). In January 1973, at age 82, Felix was shovelling snow. He came into the house for supper, did the dishes, went into the bedroom, sat on his bed, and died of a heart attack. Ronnie passed away in 2016, at age 101. Adapted by D E Rampone, Co-Chair Kelowna Canadian Italian Club Heritage Committee from a Courier Newspaper article by Diane Loseth and Don Rampone, May 2019 Charles Henry Casorso was born on September 1, 1882 in Tonco, Asti, Piemonte, Italy, to parents Giovanni and Rosa Casorso. He travelled to Kelowna, BC, in 1884 with his mother, Rosa and two siblings: Caroline and Anthony.
In the early 1900s, Charles, with his brother, Antonio, were charged with herding cattle to the mining camps, such as Fairview, in the Okanagan, and McKinney, in the Kootenays. Charles was also sent to Calgary, by the Casorso Brothers, to establish new markets for their onions and other produce. It was in Calgary that he met his future wife, Mary Elizabeth McCunnin. Mary was born on December, 31, 1888, in Dublin Ireland. Charles was one of the early Belgo farmers to experiment with growing onions and tobacco. In 1925, he planted a vineyard, of the labrusca variety of grapes, on a 35-acre property in the Belgo area. In 1930, his two brothers, Pete and Louis, planted the 45-acre vineyard on Casorso Road that now supplies the Sperling Vineyards winery with Marechal Foch, Riesling and several other Vinifera varieties. In 1931, the Casorso Brothers, led by Mary and Pete Casorso, John Maggiora and Joseph Ghezzi formed a syndicate, the Interior Co-operative Association, to launch Kelowna’s first winery. Later investors, Pasquale (Cap) Capozzi and W.A.C. Bennett, with vintner Giuseppe (Joseph) Ghezzi, turned this into Calona Wines. It is BC's oldest continually operating winery, now operating as Sandhill Winery. Charles lived in Calgary since 1932. He was a member of the Holy Name Society, and St. Mary's Cathedral. He died at age 81 years, after a lengthy illness. He was survived by his wife, Mary, two daughters: Eileen Haughland and Mary Davis, and seven sons: Victor, Martin, George, Michael, Frank, Donald, and Bernard. He was pre-deceased by son Ernest. Contributed by D E Rampone, Co-Chair, Kelowna Canadian Italian Club History Committee, from Charles Casorso 1963 Obituary and “Kelowna Wine History” by Michael Botner, October 2012. |