Louis Rampone and Phyllis Holland

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.  
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Contributed by Ron Rampone, son, and Sue Roy, daughter in law