KELOWNA CANADIAN ITALIAN CLUB
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • About KCIC and Our History
    • President's Message
    • Vice President's Message
    • Executive and Directors
    • Membership
    • Volunteers
  • NEWS & ARTICLES
    • The Grapevine Newsletter
    • THE ITALIAN GARDENER
    • Kelowna's First Families
    • Pietro's Spazio Sport
    • Book Reviews
    • Mangia Mangia Recipes
  • WHAT'S HAPPENING AT KCIC
    • 2023 Calendar
    • Club Happenings >
      • KCIC Dinners & Special Events
      • La Nostra Famiglia Italiana >
        • Upcoming NFI Events >
          • NFI - L'Acqua
          • NFI - Bisnonno
          • NFI - Spaghetti
        • Past NFI Events >
          • NFI - Terrazzo
          • NFI - Guerra
          • NFI - Lilia
          • Coming to Pier 21
          • Dalla Terra
          • Dialetti!
          • Sveva Caetani
          • Emilio Picariello
        • Family Tree Workshops
        • Between Neighbours
      • Giuseppe's Cafe
      • La Bella Tavola - Cooking Classes
      • La Scuola Italiana - Italian Language
      • KCIC Library
    • Il Nostro Lascito Legacy Project
    • Our 55th Birthday!
  • More From Us
    • CONTACT US
    • Clubhouse Rentals
    • 50th ANNIVERSARY >
      • 50th Anniversary
      • Mercato
      • Dinner & Dance Gala
    • Miss Kelowna Cdn. Italian Club
    • PHOTOS >
      • Photos
    • Calendar Page
  • Take Out Dinners
  • New Page

Le prime famiglie italiane di Kelowna 

The first Italian families of Kelowna

Santo and Carmela Giordano

6/16/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Santo and Carmela Giordano
PictureSanto Giordano, 1966
Santo (Sandy) Giordano, the son of Nicolas Giordano and Agatha Spadafora, was born on August 4, 1893 in the province of Consenza, Calabria, Italy.  A ship’s manifest has Santo arriving in New York on November 22, 1911, heading to Vancouver. Travelling with him were two of Agatha’s relatives:  Giovanni Spadafora was on his way to meet his father, Ignazio and Andrea Gallo was on his way to meet his father, Carmine.  Santo met Carmela (Mildred) Immaculata Gallo in Fernie, BC and they were married on June 26, 1920.  Carmela was born May 27, 1899 in Spizanno, Picola, Cozemza, Calabria (now known as Casali del Manco).  She came to Canada in 1901 with her grandfather, grandmother, and two uncles.  Soon after their marriage the couple moved to Middletown, BC.  Santo worked for the mine for a few years, tending to one hundred mine horses which he trained for the mine and for delivering coal to the households.  His occupation on the Voters List was harness maker.

Santo and Carmela had five children in Middletown: Adelaide Rose (Lillian) in 1921, Mary Lorraine in 1922, Nicholas Albert in 1924 (he died of whooping cough at three months of age), Louis Arthur in 1925 and Raymond Anthony in 1927.  They moved to Natal where they had three more boys; Robert Ralph (Bob) in 1929, Joseph Gary in 1932, and Charles Edward in 1935.

Carmela had some health problems, so the doctors advised the Giordanos to find a warmer and drier climate to live. In 1938 the opportunity arose to move to Kelowna.  Unable to find work in Kelowna, Santo remained with his job in Michel until 1943 when he found a landscaping / vineyard foreman job in Kelowna.  He was also known to prepare food for wedding banquets held at the church hall.

The 1953 Voter’s List had the family living in Prince Rupert with Sandy doing janitorial work at the Empress Hotel.  By 1957, sons Raymond and Joseph were listed in Prince Rupert records, while Sandy and Carmella were back in Kelowna with Sandy again, working as a janitor.  During his retirement years he was elected as the first president of the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club.  Both Santo and Carmella died in 1971; Santo in Kelowna and Carmela in Delta.  Both are buried in Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery.
​
Credit for the Santo and Carmela Giordano Story to Lily Hewer in the 2003 Giordano Reunion Book

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Research and photos of First Families by Don Rampone

    Archives

    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

coming soon to kcic!  - click below to find out more

Giuseppe's Cafe - Feb 23
L'Acqua: Italians and The Greening of the Okanagan - Feb 15
Who Killed My Great Grandfather - March 8
REGISTRATION FOR LA BELLA TAVOLA MARCH CLASSES

Our Clubhouse

770 Lawrence Ave.
Phone: 250 762 0900

What people Are Saying about us

"Great People, Wonderful Food! So nice to have a little bit of our Italian culture in Canada:)"
"Great people, family oriented and great food of course!"


Join our Mail list

We won't share your information but we will share our news and upcoming events!
Subscribe Here

Contact Us


The Kelowna Canadian Italian Club acknowledges that our clubhouse is situated on the beautiful unceded traditional territory of the Syilx/Okanagan people. Who, for thousands of years, have lived in harmony with nature and continue to this day to offer us so much culture and understanding.
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • About KCIC and Our History
    • President's Message
    • Vice President's Message
    • Executive and Directors
    • Membership
    • Volunteers
  • NEWS & ARTICLES
    • The Grapevine Newsletter
    • THE ITALIAN GARDENER
    • Kelowna's First Families
    • Pietro's Spazio Sport
    • Book Reviews
    • Mangia Mangia Recipes
  • WHAT'S HAPPENING AT KCIC
    • 2023 Calendar
    • Club Happenings >
      • KCIC Dinners & Special Events
      • La Nostra Famiglia Italiana >
        • Upcoming NFI Events >
          • NFI - L'Acqua
          • NFI - Bisnonno
          • NFI - Spaghetti
        • Past NFI Events >
          • NFI - Terrazzo
          • NFI - Guerra
          • NFI - Lilia
          • Coming to Pier 21
          • Dalla Terra
          • Dialetti!
          • Sveva Caetani
          • Emilio Picariello
        • Family Tree Workshops
        • Between Neighbours
      • Giuseppe's Cafe
      • La Bella Tavola - Cooking Classes
      • La Scuola Italiana - Italian Language
      • KCIC Library
    • Il Nostro Lascito Legacy Project
    • Our 55th Birthday!
  • More From Us
    • CONTACT US
    • Clubhouse Rentals
    • 50th ANNIVERSARY >
      • 50th Anniversary
      • Mercato
      • Dinner & Dance Gala
    • Miss Kelowna Cdn. Italian Club
    • PHOTOS >
      • Photos
    • Calendar Page
  • Take Out Dinners
  • New Page