God made a wonderful mother,
A mother who never grows old;
He made her smile of the sunshine,
And He molded her heart of pure gold;
In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,
In her cheeks fair roses you see;
God made a wonderful mother,
And He gave that dear mother to me.
By Pat O’Reilly
It is with heavy hearts and great sorrow that we say goodbye to our treasured and adored mother, nanna, Gigi…our matriarch…the Queen of our hearts. Melinda drew her last breath on February 23rd, 2025 at the Maison McCulloch Hospice in Sudbury, Ontario at the age of 90. She will be reunited with her husband, Santo, as they embrace their Reunion Day. Their love has endured the test of time and distance and has now been rekindled after 16 years apart.
Melinda was born on May 21, 1934 in the small town of Pietrafitta, Cosenza, in the region of Calabria, Italy to her parents Marietta and Antonio Scaglione. “It is written on the gate of Heaven, nothing in existence is more powerful than destiny. And destiny brought you here”. Waiting for Melinda’s arrival to welcome her home include her beloved siblings and their loving spouses: Luigi Scaglione (Yolanda), Mannina Tarsitano (Pietro), Dora Filice (Belfido), Carmela Celebre (Mario) and her sweet infant sister, Ernestina. As are many cherished family members and friends.
Melinda will forever remain in the loving hearts of her precious children and their spouses, whom she loved as her own: Lina, Joe (Linda) and Tony (Rhonda). She affectionately referred to them as her (“uccelli”) little birds. Nanna will be deeply mourned by the great loves of her life, her grandchildren: Stefanie Cecchetto (Tony), Anthony, Nicholas, Mike (Jaime), Santino (Bri) and Michael. Luca, her adored great-grandson, will share countless, remarkable and fond memories with his baby brother and cousin (that we are eagerly awaiting) of his darling, legendary Gigi and best friend. Their special connection was characterized by an extremely deep love of all things Italian and a unique opportunity for both to learn, and grow from each other across generations, creating a strong emotional bond built on unconditional love, acceptance and family legacy.
A plethora of nieces and nephews also bid a loving farewell to their amazing “zia”who left an indelible mark on their lives.
Melinda immigrated to Canada in 1954. She boarded the Vulcania at the age of 19 and sailed the seas for two weeks, marvelling at the sudden sightings of whales. She landed at the historic Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She took a train from Halifax to Montreal where she was greeted by her dear brother, Luigi, and from there took another train to North Bay.
Melinda worked at various jobs: Delmar restaurant, the Empire Hotel and St. Joseph’s Hospital. But later she assumed her most favorite role as stay-at-home mom.
Melinda, although tiny in stature, had a personality that was larger than life. She gifted joy, kindness, celebration, laughter (best belly laughs ever), spontaneity, wisdom, glee, genuine heart-felt warmth, a sense of humour, wit, boundless /extraordinary love, hugs aplenty, selflessness, a fiery spirits and a pocketful of compliments to all whom she loved.
Melinda loved singing (operetta style) and belting out favorite tunes either accompanied by music or content to just sing a Capello. Our home was infused with all kinds of music from Italian lullabies (Ninna Nanna), to Italian folk music ( Calabrisella Mia- a perennial favorite) and even pop music (The Beatles- She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah) to Christmas Carols,( warbling the “other” lyrics to Jingle Bells as only Italian nannas do) to serenading us with Dean Martin classics.
Melinda not only cultivated beautiful gardens, but also a family rooted in love and respect. She had an unbreakable will, spirit and amazing strength, even while on the journey to meet the Lord. She leaves an extraordinary legacy of close-knit family ties, laughter and boatloads of hugs and kisses. And of course we must pay tribute to her remarkable culinary skills. She brought the flavours of her homeland to her kitchen and created the most delectable and heavenly dishes for her family and friends: her perfect, chef’s kiss “sugo” and acclaimed meatballs, as well as her gnocchi - tiny pillows of perfection in every bite. Her chicken cutlets reigned supreme. With a pinch of this and a palmful of that, every single mouthful of every single dish was divine and a delight for the most discerning palate. Her culinary talent is a true testament to her ability to create wonderful memories and traditions enveloping all the senses through her Italian love language of food.
After her husband passed, she delighted in cooking in tandem with her son, Tony, teaching him the ways of the pickled “melanzana”, and how to master the perfect minestrone and passing along her recipes written in her little yellow scribbler to her grandchildren Stefanie, Santino and others in the family (the Peaches pastry – two soft cookies sandwiched together with a luscious cream, the scrumptious “fresine” both sweet and savory kinds and of course her one of a kind burnt sugar delight, “stomatico”.)
Melinda’s kitchen was the gathering place for all things family, holiday, celebrations, birthdays, impromptu dinners and famous “pittulili” (fried dough balls) feasts that were eagerly anticipated by friends and family alike. Her door was always open and she could put together a sumptuous repas in mere minutes! It was important for Melinda to always keep her “cantina” and freezer fully stocked, ensuring that nobody left her home on an empty stomach.
Melinda cherished and loved Motherhood. She was a natural caregiver and nurturer with a boundless capacity for love and compassion. Family was everything to her. Their happiness was of paramount importance and her greatest delight was seeing her family gathered around the kitchen table or sprawled across the family room floor and furniture, chatting, laughing, recounting stories of yore or just watching movies together. In the tapestry of her family, every member was recognized as a vital thread, each one special and essential in creating a beautiful whole. Joe was her Mr. Fix-It and she was so proud of his many talents. He could also elicit the best belly laughs from her. The laughter that will always resonate in our ears. Tony was her “spalla” after dad passed away and Lina had the profound honour and privilege of being her caregiver. Melinda’s stories were our history; her experience our heritage and her legacy our treasure. She was the keeper of these family stories.
Melinda devoted her life to her family. She was a pillar of strength and a constant source of support, always guiding her family with profound wisdom, patience and unwavering love. Her grandchildren and great-grandson were her entire world and nothing pleased her more that spending time with them and feeding them.
Melinda was deeply committed to her faith, demonstrating enduring devotion and belief in God through daily prayer and in the way she lived her life. She would often bring out a little statue of baby Jesus and invite her great-grandson to love Jesus as much as she did.
Melinda’s life will be celebrated on Monday, March 3rd 2025 from 9 am to 10:45 am at Hillside Funeral Services, 362 Airport Road, North Bay. Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Peter the Apostle Church, 299 Airport Road at 11 am. Interment to follow at All Saints Mausoleum at 128 Golf Club Rd. A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered. Please join us at the Davedi Club, 313 Airport Rd following the interment.
The Scarfone family wishes to extend a special, heartfelt gratitude to the team of true earth angels who work at the Maison McCulloch Hospice in Sudbury. Thank you for the heart to heart conversations, the shoulders to cry on, the supportive listening ears, the hugs, the comforting words, the understanding, the compassion, the ever present supply of goodies in the kitchen, the bottomless pit of coffee, and delicious soups. Your genuine love and kindness for mom is forever etched in our hearts.
This caring team truly helped shoulder mom’s final journey with us, every step of the way. Each and everyone of them a beautiful, kind, caring, gentle soul that treated mom with so much love, praise, dignity and respect.
Thank you…
Dr. Sheridan, Dr. Lajeunesse, Dr. Pun, Dr. Nykilchyk, Dr. Langille
Thank you…
Alison, Brooklyn, Melanie, Lyle, Roxanne, Tina, Bree, Deidre, Julie, Joel, Morgan, Sophie, Madison, Ashley, Brooke, Nat, Emily, Maygen, Domenique, Elvia, Judy, Mary-Anne, Sandy, Norm, Tracey
Julia, Brittney, Mireille, Claudette, Jyoti, Audrey, Jocelyn
As well all the countless other nurses, PSWs, supportive care associates, kitchen staff, reception staff, volunteers. You are the Gold Standard in patient care.
Thank you to Dr. Terry Rotondo, her trusted and revered family physician since 1980
And to Dr. Angele Brabant, mom’s cardiologist
Donations (in lieu of flowers) to the Maison McCulloch Hospice will be gratefully acknowledged and appreciated by the Scarfone family.
Online condolences can be made at hillsidefuneral.ca
Mommy … our hearts yearn for your infectious laugh, your perfect smile, your twinkling eyes, your loving hugs and kisses, your fiery spirit and your pure love. Losing you is like losing a part of ourselves. Your spirit will live on in our hearts. We are eternally grateful for the time we were blessed to have you.