Elmo Gino Rantucci was born in Kelowna, B. C., on August 11, 1935 to Carmine Loredo Rantucci and Ida Clementina Ciancone. He attended Glen Avenue, Dehart and Central Elementary Schools before heading over to Kelowna High School. Elmo was kept out of mischief by working on their family acreage at the base of Knox Mountain in Kelowna’s north end. He was known to join the other local boys to “run the booms” in Okanagan Lake. The wide, open areas of Kelowna’s north end gave Elmo a place to enjoy fishing and horseback riding. After graduation he attended Victoria Normal School for one year of teacher training. After that, he returned to Kelowna to work for Orchard City Press where he earned his journeyman lithographer papers. His next job was with The Hudson Bay and while there he took the Real Estate and Appraisal Course. When completed, this gave him the credentials to join The City Of Kelowna in the Tax and Assessment office. Shortly after, Elmo made his final move to The B.C. Assessment Authority as a property appraiser, where he retired at age 60.
Emma Isolina Turri was born on December 22, 1938, in the beautiful town of Pontecosi, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy to Pietro Guglielmo Turri and Esterina Assunta Gragnani. With her family she arrived in Kelowna in 1952 and Emma began attending school. They moved to Summerland where she completed her schooling. Following that she attended Herbert Business College in Kelowna specializing in Accounting. Then she worked at Calona Wines, Barr and Anderson Plumbing and Heating and Jabs Construction. In 1973, she completed more courses and reached her dream of becoming a licensed Real Estate Agent. During this time, she was instrumental for the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club (after searching for years) to finally acquire their place to call home (and still is!). Elmo and Emma met picking peaches at Casa Loma Orchards on the west side, along the Lake. They were married on June 11, 1961. They have 3 boys: Robert (Tanis), Peter (Andrea) and Chris (Patricia). They are loving grandparents to three grandsons: Jonathon, Justin and Gabriel. Elmo held various positions with both the Knights of Columbus and the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club. He has maintained an avid interest in the old-time Italian families and Kelowna’s early history. Emma volunteered for the MS Carnation Drives, as a Director for Sunnyvale School, a volunteer for Meals on Wheels, and for many years as a Trustee for Glenmore/Ellison Irrigation District. Emma and Elmo acquired acreage on Sexsmith and Reynolds Roads, where for a number of years, they operated a mixed farm and enjoyed many activities with family and friends. They also built a home on their acreage on Mission Creek in the Greystokes area which they enjoyed (as a home away from home) specially in the summer with family and friends fishing and sitting by the bonfire, roasting hot dogs, marshmallows and singing old Italian songs. In 2015 they sold the summer home. In 2016, they sold the Sexsmith property to their son, Robert. The Glenmore area has been their home for fifty years and continues to be since the move to their retirement home at Sandpoint. Contributed by Emma and Elmo Rantucci
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Valentino Rampone was born in Kelowna General Hospital on March 27, 1922. He was the first child born to Domenico and Giuseppina Rampone, and was the third generation of the Rampone family to live in Kelowna, BC. He was very proud of his heritage, the history of Kelowna, and the people who emigrated from the different countries around the world.
In 1942, my father joined the Royal Canadian Engineers (Canadian Army). He was discharged in 1945 and returned home to Kelowna. He learned the trade of a draftsman, and in the late 1940s and early 1950s, he designed and built a number of homes around the Kelowna General Hospital area. In 1947, Val married a young Italian girl who arrived in Kelowna via Golden, BC. Her name was Erza (Elsie) Russo, and her family came from southern Italy. He designed and built a modest home on Gordon Drive; they lived there until 1962. Erza passed away in 2005. Val worked in construction until the early 1950s, but decided that working out of town so much was not the way to raise a family. There was not much construction happening in Kelowna at that time, and so he decided to take a job as a clerk in the Post Office, which he worked at until his retirement in the 1970s. He enjoyed his time at the Post Office; he could keep his hand on the pulse on the community that he lived in and was so proud of. The day that they tore down the old Post Office, on the corner of Bernard Avenue and Ellis Street, was a very sad day for Dad. He tried to have the building saved but was unsuccessful; he thought that it would have been a landmark for the City of Kelowna. In 1956, Val and Erza purchased some swamp property on Lakeshore Road (now on the corner of Lakeshore and Lanfranco), and decided to build an apartment motel and call it Valentino’s Villa. When my mom decided to purchase this property, my dad was so annoyed that she would spend hard earned money on a piece of swamp that was no good for anything, that he would not even drive her to the lawyer's office to sign the documents - she had to take a taxi. My dad built one unit a year until the complex was complete. In 2006, Val was proud when his family decided to start a commercial complex on this site. Valentino Rampone enjoyed being involved in his community; he was a director of the Regional District of the Central Okanagan, alderman of the City of Kelowna, committee member of the Advisory Planning Commission for the City of Kelowna, board member of St. Charles Gamier Parish Council, President of the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club, Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, and member of the Father Pandosy Council of the Knights of Columbus. He was also a member of the Okanagan Historical Society and enjoyed the Annual General Meetings and dinners. The one event in his life that he was the most proud of was the re-discovery of the first Catholic Cemetery in Kelowna, on our farm on Gordon Drive. He remembered, as a young boy, seeing crosses and head stones at this cemetery site. In 1967, he purchased the farm. By 1983, my father contacted Professor James Baker, of Okanagan College, to see if an archaeological dig could happen, and a permanent remembrance be established. The dig took place, and about fifty graves were found. A small church was constructed to remember Father Pandosy and the people who were buried there. The motto for the City Of Kelowna - "Fruitful in Unity" - meant a lot to my dad. He often said that as a community, if we work together, we can be successful. Adapted from an article by son, Domenic Rampone, in the 72nd Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, 1972. Louis Rudolph Rampone was born in Kelowna, BC, on October 11, 1923. In 1932, he moved with his parents, Camillo and Emma, and siblings to a home on K.L.O. Road, when his father purchased a portion of the Kelowna Land and Orchard Company. Louis attended Mission Creek School for grades one to eight before moving on to Kelowna High School. After high school Louis continued working on the family farm, Springdale Farms, tending cows and harvesting fruit.
Phyllis Ellen Holland was born on June 17, 1927 in Victoria, B.C. At an early age Phyllis moved with her parents, Eric and Ellen Holland, and brother, Ron, to Kelowna. The family moved into a home on Buckland Avenue, then Ward Road and finally to a farm on KLO, with a small orchard, horses and cattle. Louis and Phyllis met while attending Mission Creek School. They married in April of 1947 and had three children: Carol, Donna and Ron. The family’s first home was on the corner of Spiers Road. In 1959, Louis and Phyllis built a larger home up the hill on Gulley Road. Louis continued to work on the family farm, which he and his brother, Ernie, purchased in 1955. The farm was re-named Rampone Brothers Orchards. The farm was split into two portions in 1989 and Louis continued farming with his son, Ron. In addition to farming, Louis sat on the board of the BC Fruit Growers Association. He was a founding member of the Central Okanagan Foundation and participated in the Capri-East Rotary Club. Phyllis raised the children and worked at the Packing House. She also worked in several downtown Kelowna stores and was a receptionist for Weddell-Horne and Company in the 1970s. Phyllis was a respected member of the Kelowna Hospital board. Both Phyllis and Louis were avid gardeners; Louis taking pride in his vegetables and Phyllis in her flowers and plants. Phyllis was an accomplished cook. Every year, she delighted the family with her homemade ravioli. They loved to spend time at their beach property in McKinley Landing, enjoying friends and playing tennis. Both shared a love of card games such a bridge and gin rummy. Louis and Phyllis loved to travel and shared many happy memories of their travel to places such as Mexico, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Israel, Tahiti, Portugal, Costa Rica, London, Nassau, Denmark, Switzerland, Monaco, Spain, Malta, Cuba, Tunisia, Thailand, the Orient and the United States and Canada. This love of travel has been passed along to their children and grandchildren. Phyllis passed away in February of 2014, while still living in her home on Gulley Road of over fifty-five years. Louis passed away in March of 2016, having spent his final years in Mountain View Seniors Complex. Contributed by Ron Rampone, son, and Sue Roy, daughter in law Fred was born in Estonia, Saskatchewan in 1917 and moved to Kelowna, BC, in 1927. Fred's first job was at the Simpson sawmill when he was 14. Years later, he worked in the Braylorn mine, west of Lillooet, BC. He enlisted in the army and served overseas in the Second World War. Fred returned to Kelowna where he met Irene Rampone and they married on January 18, 1947. They had two sons, Wayne and Marc.
Their first home was what they called the “Muskrat Farm.” They were only there a short time before moving to the Rampone farm, where they lived in one of the homes for a few years. Fred and Irene then bought twenty acres on Spiers Road, across from the Rampone farm. Fred cleared the farm with a team of horses while working on the tugs on Okanagan Lake. They eventually started a dairy farm and added another thirty acres from a farm that was next door. They stayed on the farm until approximately 1968, when they retired to a small acreage on K.L.O. Road. Once again, they downsized and moved to a property in Glenmore, before moving to Hawthorne Park. Fred passed in 1996 and Irene in 2002. Contributed by Wayne Gabel, son Ernest Edward Rampone was born on January 14, 1928 in Kelowna, B.C. He left Mission Creek School and began working on the family farm at an early age, working his way with brother, Louie, in forming the Rampone Brothers operation. His love of music can be seen in photos of Ernie, with guitar in hand, and by listening to him play opera while in the shower.
Shirley Ethel Tallman was born on August 15, 1933 in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan before moving to Kelowna, BC. As a young woman, Shirley worked for the Butler Family in East kelowna. She and some other girls would often walk down KLO Road, heading towards town. One day they decided to stop and eat some grapes from one of the orchards along the road. The next day Camillo, Ernie’s father, went to check on the grapes and noticed a pile of grape skins, so he went home and told Ernie that he had to sit in the orchard that night and catch the thief. Ernie stayed there all night, but no one came. A few weeks later, there was a dance at the East Kelowna hall. Shirley and Ernie both went, not knowing each other. They met each other at that dance and Ernie told Shirley about how he had to stay all night in the orchard a few weeks back, trying to catch the grape thief. Shirley started laughing. Ernie asked what was so funny and Shirley told him that it was she who had eaten the grapes. They started dating after that but never told Camillo it was she who had been the grape thief. Ernie and Shirley were married on April 18, 1949. They lived in a small house near Camillo and Emma. After the birth of children, Debbie and Gary, they built their family home on KLO Road, further up the hill. Ernie could often be seen playing cribbage with friends and Shirley liked bowling. After the children had left home, they would often spend each winter in Yuma, Arizona and made side trips to Las Vegas. Ernie passed away in 1997, Shirley in 1998 and son, Gary in 2012. They have four grand children: Leigh, Jaret, Brett and Sarah and five great grandchildren: Kris, Taylor, Nathan, Jacob and Samantha. Contributed by Debbie Rampone Stotz, daughter Dora Irma Rampone was born in Kelowna, BC on January 29, 1929. She attended Mission Creek School for grades one to eight and Kelowna High School for grades nine and ten. She left school and enrolled at Herbert Business College (Kelowna, BC) obtaining a General Business Diploma. Upon completion of this training she got a job working with the college. Then the travelling bug got her. She obtained a secretarial job with General Motors in Calgary, Alberta. Dora got secretarial jobs in Prince George, BC, California and Vancouver, BC, in the medical field, before returning to home town Kelowna, where she worked for the “Weddell and Horn” law firm.
Dora was an avid sports person and excelled in skiing at Black Mountain Ski Bowl, boating at Woods Lake, curling and tennis in Prince George and as a pitcher in softball. She was scouted as a potential ski team member but turned down the offer in order to continue travelling while working. Joseph Roger Simoneau was born in Willowbunch, Saskatchewan, on March 16, 1927. At age one, his family moved to Edmonton, then Fairview, Heinz Creek, Peace River and Grand Prairie, all in Alberta. In his first year of school, he was enrolled in a convent school, where English was the only language allowed. This proved difficult for Roger and his French speaking family. During grade eight, he quit school and began working at “Simoneau and Son Plumbing and Heating,” a tin-smith shop in Kelowna. Dora and Roger met in 1940, when Roger’s parents (Joseph and Leonie) visited Dora’s parents (Camillo and Emma). For the next twenty-eight years they kept in touch until August 30, 1968, when they were married. About this same time, Roger had closed his Plumbing and Heating shop on Groves Avenue. Later he opened “Custom Lighting,” selling light fixtures from Kamloops to the Kootenays in BC. By 1977, he undertook the building of Gallagher’s golf course, on land formerly held by father-in-law, Camillo. In 1981, with the golf course complete, he moved his sights to the building of a resort at Idabel Lake, near the Highway 33 Big White turnoff. After their marriage, Dora continued with curling and was an active member of the Kelowna Curling Club executive. Both Roger and Dora enjoyed golfing, often travelling to golf destinations in the Pacific Northwest. Dora and Roger have one son, James. He lives in Vernon, BC, where he sources products for “Kal-Tire.” Sadly, Dora passed away in 2020. D. E. Rampone, Kelowna Canadian Italian Club Rose Barrera was born on December 20, 1925 in the Rutland area of Kelowna, BC. In 1926, the family had moved to their property on Lakeshore Road. She attended both Mission Creek School and Kelowna High School, completing grade nine before leaving to help on the family farm. As well as helping on the farm, she held numerous jobs in fruit orchards, NOCA Dairy and Kelowna Saw Mill Box-makers.
Albert Peter Rampone was born on Feb 11, 1924, while the family was living on Saint Paul St, in Kelowna, BC. Shortly after his birth, they moved to the farm on Benvoulin Road, where the family operated a mixed farm. Albert attended Mission Creek School for grades one to eight, before moving on to Kelowna High School, where he completed grade nine. He excelled in mathematics. He started working on the farm, gradually building up the milking cattle herd. Milk was shipped under the NOCA brand name. Both Rose’s and Albert’s families were members of the Italian Community Hall Association, so they grew up together. On November, 1947, they were married. While raising their three boys, they continued to run the dairy farm and slowly built up their pepper and eggplant mail order business and shipping produce to Italian communities in Alberta, the Kootenays, Vancouver and Prince Rupert. As well as being an expert canner and preserver, Rose was also very adept at patch work quilt making. The boys and many cousins, nieces and nephews, are honoured to be recipients of these creations. Although Albert had little specialized training, he was very good at repairing machinery and building with wood. Many of his stools, benches and tables still exist in the family’s belongings. As the boys grew older and were able to run the farm, Rose and Albert took up travelling, first, with their camper, then, with their motor home, and finally, moving on to bus and ship tours. In their travels, they would stop in to see family members, around North America. They made many new friends during their travels, most with whom they kept in touch. The dairy herd was eventually sold and a small herd of beef cattle was acquired. Most of the farm was turned into growing produce for DON-O-RAY Vegetables, with son, Ray and his wife Linda taking over the lead. Rose and Albert retired. Granddaughter, Lori, and her daughter, Nevi, operated the Fun Bugs Play Centre in Kelowna for a number of years. Son, Don, joined the ranks of the teaching profession, where he met Jane. Youngest son, John, became an electronics technician. He and and Tammy live in Nelson, BC. After forty-eight years in their farm house, Rose and Albert moved to a townhouse on Lanfranco Road, where Rose continued to grow tomatoes, garlic, basilico and lettuce between the landscaped roses. They continued their travels, concentrating on the Okanagan Valley area, and keeping in touch with cousins and long time family friends. Albert passed away on May 13, 2013. Rose now resides at The Vineyards, in the Glenmore area. Contributed by Don Rampone, son Andrew (Andy) Peter Mattioda was born in 1921, in Grandforks, BC, to Pietro Domenico Mattioda and Giuseppina Vittoria Antonietta. He was the second of three children. Andy was 25 at the time the family moved to Kelowna, BC, in 1946. Here, the family farmed on Benvoulin Road for many years until the land was sold.
In 1954, Andy met Helen Eleanor Walker. Helen was working at the Packing House at the time. They married in 1956. They had three children: a son, Wayne, and daughters, Brenda and Linda. Andy and Helen built their forever home at the north end of Kelowna. Andy worked for the City of Kelowna for many years until his retirement. He loved to fish, tinker, and build things in his garage. Helen had a job as a switchboard operator at Okanagan Telephone until she started working in retail. She loved to sew and garden. They both had a love for dancing. On February 10, 1994 Andrew Peter Mattioda passed away at the age of 72 years old. Helen Eleanor Mattioda passed away October 23, 2022 at the age of 88. Contributed by Linda Mattioda Anderson, daughter Robert Santo (Bob) Giordano was born on January 15, 1929 in Michel Natal, in the Kootenay region of BC, to parents Santo (Sandy) and Carmela (Mildred) Giordano. The Giordano family moved to Kelowna, BC, in 1938, although Sandy continued to work in Michel until 1943. Edna May Wilson was born on February 22, 1932 in New Westminster, BC, to parents Frank and Evelyn Wilson. She came to Kelowna in 1951. Her first job upon arrival in Kelowna was at Loan’s Hardware Store on Bernard Avenue. Following that, she worked for fifteen years, at Don Lange Jewellers. Bob and Edna were married in 1952 and they had four children: Janice (Jeff Moonen), Guyle (LeAudrey), Dalyce (Barnett), and Paul (Latha). Edna’s family tree has sprouted more branches. She now has 5 children, 21 grandchildren and 4 great-grand children Bob was a tireless promoter of hockey in 1950s and 60s. There were few persons, involved in the sport’s world of Kelowna and district, who have not known or heard of Bob Giordano, as a friend and lifelong sportsman. His name was synonymous with hockey in this area. During his early hockey career, he worked (in an unofficial capacity) with Kelowna’s senior hockey club and became the league’s statistician, in 1954. In 1957, he joined Jack O’Reiley as manager of the Kelowna Packers and played a large role in the team’s rise to fame in the 1957-58 season. During 1958, the citizens of Kelowna were very proud to be represented in the Allan Cup playoffs by the Kelowna Packers. As a result of their great achievement, they were selected to be the first Canadian team to play inside Russia. One of the most able general managers in Okanagan senior hockey, Bob was first elected as vice-president and players committee chairman of the Kelowna Packers, in 1957. Genuinely interested in hockey, the young Kelowna director persevered with the club through difficult times. The constant giving of his abilities to hockey went beyond Kelowna. Bob passed away on October 30, 1965, following a sudden illness. At the time he had been manager of the Kelowna Buckaroos Okanagan Junior Hockey Club, a team he helped establish in 1961. He is laid to rest at the Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery. Edna continues to reside in Kelowna. In 1999, The Bob Giordano Memorial Award for Coach of the Year, was established. It is given to an individual who has contributed significantly to Kelowna through voluntary service to amateur sport, such as coaching or administrative support. Also in 1999, Bob was presented with the Dunc Jamieson Award for his outstanding Volunteer Service Towards The Game of Hockey. Bob was inducted posthumously, to the Central Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, under the builder category, for building a hockey legacy in Kelowna. D. E. Rampone Kelowna Canadian Italian Club Michele Feliciano Mario Favali was born May 7, 1924 in Filicaia, Italy. He never saw his father until he arrived in Kelowna, BC, late in 1929. Mike spent his whole life living in Kelowna. He was able to attend school until grade six, after which he worked with his father and brother, Frank, in the stucco and plastering business.
At age 14, Mike went to work on the Thomson family celery farm where he met his future wife, Marjorie. Marjorie Thomson was born May 24, 1923 in Kelowna. They were married on December 27, 1950 in Penticton, BC. Mike and Marjorie built a house at 674 Paret Road in Kelowna, which was later renamed Old Meadows Road. Here they raised five daughters: Jennifer, 1951, Marion, 1953, Elaine, 1956, Heather, 1957 and Deena, 1960. Mike went on to become a partner with his brother, Frank, in the F&M Favali stucco and plaster business and worked out of Kamloops, BC. He later had an orchard in Lakeview Heights, in West Kelowna, and was famous for his garden tomatoes, garlic, beans and other produce. He always made homemade wine, sausages and cheese. Family and friends were a priority to this family. No one ever left the Favali household empty handed. There was always garden produce and fruit to give away as well as a jug of wine. Trout Creek fishing picnics are a fond memory as well as the backyard garden parties including a roast pig. Mike’s hobbies were fishing, playing cards, bocce, being a member of the Italian Club and assisting with functions. Mike passed away on November 13, 2012 and Marjorie passed away on January 26, 2017. They are interred in the St. Andrews Anglican Church Cemetery, in Kelowna, BC. Contributed by Elaine Favali von Tiesenhausen, daughter |