My father, Anthony Casorso, was born on March 8, 1880, in Tonco, Allesandria, Italy. In the early summer of 1884, Anthony, with his mother Rosa and siblings Caroline and Charles, commenced their six week journey to join father, Giovanni, in Okanagan Mission (Kelowna, BC).

My father and his family, and most of the settlers for miles around, participated in the catching of kickan-in-ces, preserving them by the use of coarse salt. The catching of these fish was considered a necessity in the early days as different varieties of food were very limited and also sometimes scarce. 

My father first attended the Benvoulin School, which was the first public school in the valley. Later, my father attended a new school at Okanagan Mission. As a boy my father, while helping on the ranch, learned to handle horses and machinery.

As a young man he took part in cattle drives to various places, often riding as much as seventy-five miles a day. On many occasions he rode to Vernon on business making the return trip the same day, a distance of about seventy miles. The operation of the ranch made it necessary for my father to ride the range seven to eight months of the year. My father was an expert marksman and excelled in the hunting and bagging of wild game such as deer, pheasants and water fowl.

My mother, Margaret McGarrity, was born in Montreal. In April 1906, as a young woman, she arrived in Kelowna with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McGarrity. On September 3, 1906, my mother and father were married.

My father managed the family property, Pioneer Ranch in partnership with six of his brothers, until he decided to engage in farming on his own. In the fall of 1918 he started out by purchasing sixteen acres at South Benvoulin. 

My father was also one of the pioneers in the production of tobacco. Later he was one of the earliest producers of honey. He operated Benvoulin Apiaries for a number of years
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He never learned to drive a car. "I used to fall asleep quite often in my horse-drawn buggy," my father said. "The horse always kept on the right road until I woke up. I never trusted a car to behave as well.”

He had been in very poor health for five years before his death due to a serious heart condition, which made it necessary for him to cut down on his activities. In spite of this he remained cheerful, continued to visit his friends, and kept up an active correspondence with friends in various parts of the world. His mind was as keen as a teenager's and his hearing perfect.

My father passed away on July 21, 1967, as he would have wished, quickly and quietly, while walking in the back yard.

By Margaret Greening, daughter, from the 32nd Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, 1968.

Pasquale (Cap) Capozzi was born to Giuseppe Capozzi and Luigia Colacurcio, on July 13, 1888, in Santo Stefano del Sole, Avellino, Campania, Italy. Maria Anna Mussatto was born to parents Domenico Mussatto and Anna Meyer on October 24, 1896 in Switzerland. Pasquale and Maria met while in Phoenix and they were married in Kelowna, BC, in 1921. They raised three sons: Joseph (Joe), Harold (Herb) and Tom.

At age 18, Cap arrived in Nelson, BC, where he worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway as section man, as a shop hand and in their stone quarry. Following this, he worked at sawmills, in both Nelson and Castlegar, BC. By 1910, he was in Revelstoke, BC, building basements in the summer, and hauling wood by mule power in winter. During his time he would often pass by the Bregolisse grocery store. One day, Assunta Bregolisse offered him a job as delivery boy and clerk. With two years experience in the grocery business, he moved to Trail, BC, to manage a grocery store. By 1918, he opened his own store in Phoenix, BC.

Everyone seemed to be talking about a special place called the Okanagan, so Cap made a trip here. He scouted out the whole valley, finally choosing Kelowna to be his new home. He opened a grocery store in Kelowna in 1919. About the same time, Maria moved her family candy store to Kelowna. Cap’s City Grocery Store did well, and Cap began buying real estate and shipping produce to Australia. In 1932, neighbouring businessmen Cap Capozzi and W A C Bennett bought into the Domestic Wine and By-Products Company, and renamed it Calona Wines. In the late 1950s, the Capozzi family built the Shops Capri (Capri Centre) and the Capri Motor Inn (Capri Hotel). By 1961, the Capozzi family took over complete management of Calona Wines. 

Maria was very involved in the community. She acted as an English instructor for many of the early Italian families.  She was a member of the first Italian Club choir and dance troupe and held key roles with the Catholic Women’s League. The Immaculate Conception Church Parish Hall was generously funded in honour of Pasquale and Maria Capozzi.  They were also members of the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club.
Maria passed away on May 21, 1968 and Pasquale on September 8, 1976. They are both laid to rest in the Church of the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Kelowna.
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Contributed by Donald E Rampone, co-chair of the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club Heritage Committee.

Joseph Jasper Capozzi was the eldest son of Pasquale “Cap" Capozzi and Maria Anna Mussatto. He was born in Kelowna, BC, February 12, 1922. Joe and his brothers attended Vancouver College as boarders and developed a love for athletics - rowing, football, etc.

Upon graduation from Vancouver College, Joe enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force, hoping to become a pilot, but was instead recruited into a secret new unit of Britain's Royal Air Force. After training in Canada, he was transferred to Britain, where he remained for the duration of the war. 
Joe returned home and attended the University of British Columbia, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce. He went on to become an entrepreneur, selling real estate, working for Sun Life Insurance and owning lumber mills in Beaverdell and Lumby, BC..

He was an innovator of technical equipment, relating to the wine industry, developing a crusher and collapsible bins. He eventually formed a company called Canadian Winery Equipment, which started by making fermentation tanks and wound up building distillery equipment.

When the family decided to build the Capri Hotel and Shopping Centre, Joe had a construction company that was able to do the job. He loved building things - the Calona Winery and Distillery and Kelowna's first carpet factory.

In 1970 the Capozzi brothers acquired Panabode Cedar Homes, which Joe single-handedly built into one of Canada's largest manufacturers of prefab cedar log homes that were shipped around the world.

He was dedicated to his church, his country and his family. His closest friend and truest companion was his wife, Dee. He was a proud and involved father to his three children - Carla, Patrick and Kevin, and he cherished his grandchildren.

Joe was able to indulge his passion for flying, eventually attaining not only his private license, but also his Instrument Rating. He wanted to make sure that his beloved airplanes were suitably protected, and so he built one of the first hangers at the Kelowna Airport. He loved to travel and Mexico became a second home for many years.

Joe was a dedicated and competitive athlete who overcame a serious childhood accident that nearly cost him a leg. He remained undaunted and went on to become a high school football star, a competitive tennis player and an avid downhill skier, until Alzheimer's entered his life and took away his lifetime skiing pass at Big White. 

Joe passed away on September 29, 2004, at the age of 82.

Adapted from a story by Herb Capozzi in the 69th Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, 2005.

Harold Peter Capozzi was born on April 24, 1925, in Kelowna, BC, to Maria and Pasquale "Cap" Capozzi. The second of three boys, Herb went to school with his brothers, Joe and Tom, as boarders at Vancouver College where he excelled at basketball and football and got his lifelong nickname of Herb. Later, Herb went to the University of British Columbia where he was a member of the Chief's basketball team. Herb earned a B.A. and B.Comm.

Herb became a lineman when football returned to UBC after the war years. He was offered a professional football contract by the New York Giants but he turned them down to go to Italy, on a scholarship, to get his teaching degree at the University of Perugia. He also acted as a correspondent in Italy for the local Kelowna newspaper, sending back stories of his travels in Italy in the post-war era.

In 1952, Herb resumed his football career with the Canadian Football League, playing for the Montreal Allouettes and Calgary Stampeders. While working in Montreal in 1956, he met and married his first wife, Dorothy Skelton, a former Lady of the Lake. In 1957, the BC Lions appointed Herb to General Manager. Herb and Dorothy moved to West Vancouver where they raised four children during their 24 years of marriage. 

After leaving the Lions in 1966, Herb became a Social Credit MLA, representing Vancouver Centre, in the BC Legislature for seven years. It was also during this time that he helped his good friend, George Tidball, start The Keg Restaurants and bring McDonald's to Canada. 

One of Herb's proudest and most well-known achievements was starting the Vancouver Whitecaps in 1973. Herb served as owner, president, and board chairman for the team. 

Herb met his third wife, Alixandra Ydo, in 1992. She was a former model and more than 30 years his junior. Alix and Herb were married in 1995 and she was with him until the end.

Herb and the Capozzi family's Kelowna accomplishments are well known. They started the first Okanagan winery with Calona Wines, which was also the first provider of sacramental wine for BC. They built the first hotel and shopping centre in Kelowna with the Capri Hotel and Shopping Centre.

Through Dabbers, Kelowna's first professional bingo parlour, they raised millions of dollars for charity. Herb was a recipient of the Order of BC in 2008, in which they called him an "Ambassador for British Columbia.”

Herb passed away on November 21, 2011, at his home in Kelowna. The Herb Capozzi Fund was set up at the Central Okanagan Foundation. The aim of the Fund is to have it disbursed to athletes and students who are not necessarily the fastest, strongest or smartest, but who show the most enthusiasm and commitment in their field.

Adapted from a story by Sheena Capozzi, in the 76th Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, 2012.

Umberto was born in 1945 in Valgli Sotto, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy to parents Vitale Cagnoni (a marble cutter) and Domenica Carolina Bonsarra.  Umberto has four brothers: Marco, Albano, Enrico and Virgilio (Reggio) and one sister, Albarosa. 

In 1964, the family joined cousins and nephews in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.  Many fellow townspeople also immigrated to the Yellowknife area.  Umberto began his working years as a painter, a trade he kept later on in Edmonton, Alberta. In 1969  he moved to Kelowna, BC, and got a job as a painter for Sun-Rype. He slowly switched from painting to some maintenance work. During the following years, he earned his millwright ticket. He was very involved  with The Kelowna Canadian Italian Club (KCIC), undertaking terms as President, Bocce Court manager and clubhouse maintenance volunteer. Umberto retired in 2008.  He has two children, Amanda and Anthony, from a previous marriage.

Anna was born in 1946 in Rome, Lazio,  Italy to parents, Riccardo Maggi and Carolina Olivia. Anna has a sister, Rosalda, and a brother, Giancarlo, both in Rome. She became a travel agent in Rome, where she learned to speak English. At age 21, she obtained Visas to travel to both Australia and Canada. She made her journey to New York, then by bus through Fort Erie to Toronto, Ontario, before boarding the cross- Canada-train to Vancouver, BC. She has two sons, Malley and Paul, from a previous marriage.  They spent some time in Cassiar, BC, where Anna worked as a lab technician. She was an active skier, snowshoer and hiker.

Always looking for a better place to live, Anna bought the Marvel Travel Agency in Kelowna, in 1986. On opening day, KCIC President, Joe Iafrancesco, walked in and invited her to join KCIC. Anna met Umberto at the club. They were married in 2004.  They both remained very active with the club. Now they spend their days travelling, gardening and making wine.
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Contributed by Don Rampone, Co-Chair, Kelowna Canadian Italian Club Heritage Committee

Jack Butticci: 1897-1994. Father: Domenico, Mother: Arcangela Cotturone, from Spolito, Umbria, Italy. Lily Woods: 1901-1991. Father: William Woods, Mother: Alice Smith, from Atherton Haws, England. Marriage: July 1, 1920 at St Michael and All Angels Church, Kelowna, BC

From a story: Jack and Lilly and the last spike by Win Shilvock, Kelowna Capital News, July 4, 1984. Win writes about interesting people in history.

“Such a person is Jack Butticci who, although 86 years old, is very much alive. He came to the Okanagan Valley just after the turn of the century and was actively connected with the history of the building of the Kettle Valley Railway and the running of the sternwheelers on Okanagan Lake.

Arriving in Canada in 1912, at the age of fourteen, he first worked for the KVR at Hope and then on the Osprey Lake - Princeton, BC section.  Because he was the youngest member of the crew, the honour of driving the last spike, at Princeton in 1915, went to him. It was his sledge-hammer blows that historically joined Midway and Princeton by rail.

After the episode at Princeton, he left the KV and got a job as a fireman on the SS Sicamous. It was a good job, too - $37 a month and board.  When he reported to Captain Sandy Robertson he was asked his name. “Agostino,” said Butticci.  “That’s too hard to say,” said the captain. “What’s your father’s name?”  “Domenico.”  “That’s worse. What’s your grandfather’s name?” “Gemmarino,” came the frightened reply. “Hell,” exploded the Scotch captain, “that’s worse still.  I’m going to call you Jock.” That soon got transposed to Jack and its been that way for the past 69 years. 
 
Lily Woods, at the age of 13, arrived with her family from England in 1913.  It was love at first sight when she met Jack and they were married in 1920. This year, on July 1st they celebrated 64 years together, and 55 years in the house they built as a team in 1929. “Lilly was the boss of that operation,” says Jack.

Enlistment in the army in 1941 was, unfortunately, short-lived. Many years before, Jack was rounding a curve on a KVR track scooter and ran head on into an approaching train.  In the crash his right foot was twisted, and although repaired, remained weak.  On a first route march the ankle flared up and that was the end of an army career.

Jack, 4th from right in the picture above, was one of the several people who drove the “last spike.” 

After leaving the CPR Jack worked for Occidental Fruit and then for himself in the iron works business, retiring in 1968.”
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Contributed by Don Rampone, Co-Chair, Kelowna Canadian Italian Club Heritage Committee

Armando Ernesto Serafino Bossio was born September 17, 1923, to Benedetto Giuseppe Bossio and Anna-Maria Anselmo. The Bossio family left Grimaldi, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy, immigrating to New York. When his dad was just a young lad, he came to Canada. His first job, in 1903, was a water boy for the CPR crew, which was reconstructing its line over the Frank slide. Shortly after, they moved to Fernie, BC.

Armando was an altar boy, at a very young age. When he  finished school, he went to work at the grocery store in Fernie. He later worked at underground mines in Michel, BC. It was a very dangerous, hard and dirty job. In November 1944, he married his childhood sweetheart, the girl next door, Doreen Lalonde. Son, Joseph, was born in 1945 followed by daughters: Annette (1945), Diane (1947) and Lorraine (1953). After leaving the mine, they took up residence in the Elko Hotel which Armando owned and managed. The hotel was under extensive renovations when the fire destroyed it in August, 1956. 

Armando decided to move his family to Vancouver, BC, where there were more job opportunities. He was employed by the liquor control board.  He continued to work while Doreen was a housewife and mother of four young children. In 1965, he was transferred with the Liquor Control Board to Kelowna, BC. Doreen and the young family stayed in Vancouver so that the children could finish their year. In the meantime, Armando had 12 affordable housing units and their own residence built. In 1965, the family made the move to Kelowna.

Armando and Doreen bought the mini golf at the corner of highways 33 and 97. Family members helped them by working in the club house for a few years. In 1969, they were blessed with another daughter, Colleen.  In 1971, a tragic car accident claimed the lives of their daughter, Annette, and her unborn child.  Annette was married to Wally Spencer just a year previous to the accident

Armando retired from the liquor board in 1979. Armando and Doreen were active members of the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club. They helped organize many cultural events and spent endless hours preparing meals for the various banquets. Armando was president in 1977 and 1980. The banquets were held in the Immaculata Hall and the Parkinson Rec Centre before the existing club house was purchased. Joe Diane and Lorraine were all married with families of their own. The youngest, Colleen, was married in 1990 and later had a family.

Sadly, on May 10, 1995 Armando passed away. Doreen attended a few more banquets until she no longer could attend, due to her health. In 2014 Doreen passed away and was reunited with her beloved husband. She was deeply blessed to have lived a life full of love, surrounded by her children and their spouses, nine grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.

Rhonda Ewen, daughter of Lorraine and Gordon and granddaughter of Armando and Doreen Bossio, has carried on the tradition as a very active member of the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club.
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Contributed by Lorraine Zaryski, daughter.

My Grandfather, Luigi Betuzzi, was born on April 15, 1874 in Romanoro, Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. My Grandmother, Rosalia Guasparini, was born in Camporgiano, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy on December 18, 1876. They were married in 1906. Shortly afterwards they moved to Scotland, where their first child, John, was born in 1907. Later, they moved back to Italy and three more children were born: Mary, Judita (Jenny) and Pia (Polly). 

Luigi was sponsored by the Biagioni family and emigrated to Summerland, B.C. in 1914. Luigi got established in Summerland, before bringing Rosalia to Canada. Luigi worked for a friend doing masonry work. He also built a house on Happy Valley Road which is still standing. Rosalia came to Canada in 1919, first arriving at Ellis Island, in New York City, and then travelling by train to Canada and west to British Columbia. In Summerland, two more children were born. My father, Charles William Betuzzi, was born on Feb. 7, 1921. My aunt, Anna, was born in 1923. 

Charles Betuzzi was a pilot flying instructor during the Second World War. After the war, my father married my mother, Merrie Mulhern. Their wedding took place in Summerland, B.C. on September 27, 1947. 

As a war veteran, in 1950, Dad was able to purchase 12 acres of farmland in Lakeview Heights, which is now a part of West Kelowna. Dad and Mom, and their growing family, moved to Lakeview Heights in December of 1955. Dad’s property was on Douglas Road. He farmed the 12 acres until 1971, when he sold 11 of the 12 acres. During this time, Mom and Dad raised a large family of 11 children. They stayed on the property until 2010, when they moved into Westwood seniors home in Westbank. 

The former Betuzzi Farm acreage, is now the location of Mount Boucherie Winery.

Grandfather, Luigi, passed away in 1941 and Grandmother, Rosalia, passed away in 1937. Charles Betuzzi passed away in 2013 and Merrie Betuzzi passed away in 2015. 

Contributed by Mark Betuzzi, son of Charles and Merrie.

Luigi (Gigi) was born on June 22, 1924. He was the second oldest in a family of 2 boys and 2 girls - Lucia, Luigi, Teresa and Arturo. His father passed away when Gigi was just 5 years old. Regina (Gina) was born on March 9,1926. She was the third oldest in a family of 5 boys and 3 girls - Giovanni, Angelo, Teresa, Regina, Umberto, Gemma, Celeste and Pietro. Both were born in in their parent's farmhouses in San Giovanni di Casarsa, Udine.

Growing up in the same town, attending the same school and church, they "noticed" each other in their mid teens. World War II made things difficult, especially in northern Italy and there were few opportunities, so Gigi went to work in the coal mines in Belgium for a year. 

Luigi and Regina were engaged in 1948, and married on October 22, 1949. During this year, they also applied to emigrate to Canada, where Gigi had some relatives. Three weeks after the wedding he left for Canada, first by ship to Halifax, Nova Scotia and then by train across to Kelowna, BC, where his uncles, Gino Bazzana and Matteo Culos, lived. Gina had to wait in Italy until her papers came through and Gigi's proven ability to have a job and to sponsor her. It took 18 months. Since there were no job prospects in Kelowna at the time, Gigi went to Kwinista, BC, on the Skeena River, near Prince Rupert, where he worked for CN Rail as a lineman. This is where Gina rejoined her husband. Some brothers from both sides of the family came to join them. They learned English by correspondence. 

By the fall of 1952, Gina was so ill with her first pregnancy, they transferred to Prince Rupert, where they lived for several years - Luigi working for CN and Gina in the fish plants. Their first daughter, Nives, was born there. 1956 was the big move to Kelowna, the land of sunshine, fruit, grapes and warmth. Gigi helped build the plywood plant, sawing logs by hand, with Alfredo Calissi. He also worked inside as a clipper operator, cutting sheets of plywood. Gina went to work in the canneries, then to Henderson Cleaners, as a seamstress. In 1969, Gina went to work for CPR, as a janitor and housekeeper at the station and bunkhouse, conveniently located across the street from their home on Clement. 

The couple had two more children, Mary and Jerry. Luigi retired in 1987 and Gina in 1991. They spent their time in the garden. Their gardens were a showplace of flowers, fruit and vegetables. Luigi produced award winning wines and Gina was always busy cooking, sewing and crocheting. They were were very proud of the Alpini and the Italian Clubs. They enjoyed singing the songs of their youth. Both had good voices.

Regina passed away in 2013 and Luigi in 2015. They are missed by their three children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Nives and husband, Jim, live in Langley, BC. Mary lives in Kelowna. Jerry and wife, Ruth, live in Kelowna. Pride in their Italian heritage continues.

Contributed by Nives Bazzana Cornock, daughter.

Luigi led a full and distinguished life; one of adventure, hard work, and devotion to family, friends and faith.  He was born on Oct 23, 1927 in Tassignano, just outside Lucca in Tuscany, Italy.  He was the third of six children. 

Following WWII, Luigi was part of the first wave of Italians who immigrated to Canada in search of a better life.  He arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in July 1950, aboard the SS Conte Biancamano.  Luigi worked his way across Canada and was then hired as part of the construction crew that headed north to build the Alcan aluminum smelter in Kitimat, BC.  

Once the smelter was complete, Luigi’s entrepreneurial spirit took hold, and he was presented with an opportunity to buy a small hotel in New Hazelton, about 60 km northwest of Smithers, BC. Luigi jumped at the opportunity, and in so doing, became the then youngest hotelier in BC.  

At around the same time, Luigi met Ileana at a showing of the movie, Around the World in 80 Days, at the Stanley Theatre on Granville St. in Vancouver, BC.  Ileana had immigrated to Canada with her parents and younger brother, Pierre, in 1954. Luigi & Ileana were married in Vancouver on May 7th, 1960. They lived in New Hazelton, BC, for two years.

From New Hazelton, Luigi & Ileana moved to Prince George, BC, for 10 years, before settling in Kelowna, BC, in 1972.  Luigi would go on to be involved with many business adventures in the community, including the opening of the first neighbourhood pub in the Okanagan, appropriately named Luigi’s.
Luigi & Ileana have four children (Ivana, Fabio, Sandro, Marina) and 9 grandchildren.

They were part of St. Pius X parish, the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club, the Bocce Club, various soccer organizations, as well as the business and civic communities.
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Ileana passed away in June 2006 and Luigi in December 2017.  They are interred at the Kelowna cemetery. 

Contributed by Fabio Banducci, son.