Obituary of Rocco Lavalle

Rocco Lavalle, beloved husband of Maria for 54 years, passed away peacefully on July 25, 2020 at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, in his 80th year. Rocco was born in Toritto, Bari in 1940. He married the love of his life Maria Germano in 1966. Rocco immigrated to Canada where he settled in Oakville. He was employed by the Clarkson Construction Company, more commonly known as Bot Construction, for 45 years. Rocco was a dedicated employee and passionate with his work. Rocco and Maria raised their three children in Oakville. The highlights of his year always revolved around spending time with his three children and their families. He was so proud of his eight grandchildren and looked forward to birthday gatherings, Christmas, Easter, New Years, Sacraments and of course the annual Festa della Madonna di Quasano, which is celebrated locally over the Civic Holiday long weekend, when he will be laid to rest this year. He was always a child at heart and his playfulness came out when he was with his grandchildren, bringing joy into a room, with his infectious smile. He was generous with his time and talents, always being the first to volunteer to help others. Rocco was a passionate gardener, spending any free time he had to tend to his garden. He enjoyed sharing his talents and fruits of his labour with family and friends. He was most proud of his fruit trees. He especially had a talent grafting multiple types of fruits on a single tree. Rocco was a great storyteller. He was always willing to provide advice and wisdom, whether it be about gardening or really any topic where he could share his rich life experiences through a story. Rocco was a member of Oakville’s Knights of Columbus Marian Council #3881 and looked forward to the annual Beer-Butt Chicken and Corn Roast, as it was yet another opportunity to enjoy good food and good times with family and friends. For 78 years Rocco generally enjoyed a healthy life until he succumbed to a very aggressive cancer, and passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. Rocco is predeceased by his Father Giovanni, mother Rita and brother-in-laws Michele and Giacomo. Rocco was the eldest of four children. He is survived by his three sisters Elisabetta, Maria and Angela in Italy. Rocco, beloved husband of Maria; loving father of Giovanni and his wife Maria Finucci, Rita and her husband Giuseppe Peritore, Nancy and her husband John Badami; very proud Nonno of Michela, Gaetano, Sophia, Daniel, Celestia, Marcus, Olivia, and Anyssa; dear brother-in-law of Rosetta, Antonetta and Giuseppe will always be fondly remembered as “Rocco”, “Dad” and “Nonno”.***It is preferred that you email RoccoLavalleVisitation@gmail.com so a family member can help schedule an appointment for you to attend the visitation or to place your name on the funeral guest list. Scheduling an appointment will help limit the number of people at the funeral home at any one time and ensure that everyone will have the opportunity to visit. Scheduling an appointment is appreciated, but not mandatory. Please send an email to RoccoLavalleVisitation@gmail.com to receive an automatic response with further information. We are permitted about 100 guests at St. James for the funeral. In the event you cannot email, please text or leave a voice message with Giuseppe at 905-599-1206. Thank you for your understanding*** ***For those who wish to make a charity donation: if you are prompted for a card recipient's email, please use RoccoLavalleVisitation@gmail.com.***