Antonio "Tony" Donado

July 24, 2018
It's with great sadness that we share that on July 24th, 2018, Antonio (Tony) Donadeo, our beloved father and husband of 67 years to Vittoria, passed away. Prior to his passing, he was surrounded by his family and friends that admired him and loved him dearly.

Born in Maglie, Lecce, Italy the brother of 8 sisters and 7 brothers and the son of Lorenzo and Angelina Donadeo, Tony grew up very proud of his Italian roots. At a young age he worked in the tobacco fields with his father during the great depression of the 1930's. Food was in short supply and he and his family lived on what they could grow in their garden.

From 1940 to 1946 he was a soldier in the Italian army in World War II where he drove a truck and transported men and equipment. After the war, jobs were scarce in his town and in his search for a better life for him and his new bride, Vittoria, he immigrated to Canada in 1951, arriving in Halifax and then moving westward.

He first worked in Mercoal, Alberta where he toiled in the underground coal mines until 1959 at which time the mine closed down. It was a messy, difficult and dangerous job. He knew he didn't have any better options, so he persevered, worked hard and made the best of the situation.

When the mine closed down Tony, Vittoria and their 3 children moved to Red Deer, where Tony eventually landed a job with Border Paving as a rake man. Through hard work and determination, he was eventually promoted to foreman of the paving crew until he retired in 1986 after 25 years of service.

He was always very appreciative of the opportunity that Vic Walls at Border Paving gave him and always had a great deal of respect for him. Tony loved his job. He and his crew paved many roads in Central Alberta and he was always very proud of the record his crew set for the most tons of asphalt laid in a day.

After his retirement, he purchased a small rustic cottage in Sylvan Lake that his children and grandchildren could retreat to on the weekends. His vision was to use the cabin to keep the family together, close and strong. He was a real handyman and he single-handedly fixed up the cottage and expanded it to accommodate his children and grandchildren. It was a quaint and cozy cottage that created many fond and wonderful memories over the years.

Tony and Vittoria first met in 1950 when Tony, then driving a bread delivery truck had to stop for Vittoria. He took that opportunity to try and talk to her, but she ignored him. He asked her if she would go out on a date with him and she said no but said that if he wanted to talk to her, he had to first go talk to her dad Giuseppe. After Giuseppe checked Tony out, he eventually got approval to come to their home to visit with Vittoria no more than two times per week under supervision. They were eventually married at the church in Melpignano, Lecce, Italy on June 24, 1951 and recently celebrated their 67th anniversary.

Tony is survived by his wife Vittoria, his children Lina Wedderburn (Terry), Luciana Donadeo, Lorenzo Donadeo (Donna) and Lydia Hrabec (Don), his grandchildren, Jason Wedderburn, Shaun Wedderburn, Franco Donadeo (Hayley), Tony Donadeo , Marco Donadeo, Julia Nimilowich (Matthew), Jenna Kinsella (Josh), Dylan Hrabec and Derek Hrabec and his great grandchildren Catlyn Rasmussen, Kaiden Wedderburn, Matteo Nimilowich and Luca Donadeo. He is also survived by his sisters Ada Milanko, Nina Cesaria and Pina Cezza.

Tony had a real passion for gardening and had a garden that many of his neighbors, relatives and friends marvelled at. In his greenhouse he grew amazing juicy tomatoes. His yard was always immaculate and he and Vittoria won several City of Red Deer Merit Garden awards over the years for exemplary yard landscaping and flowers.

Tony loved life and had a positive and enthusiastic attitude. Most times he had a smile on his face and when people would ask him how we was doing, he would say, "99 and three quarters percent!"

His other passion was making red wine from Zinfandel grapes that were shipped from California. Every year for the last 40 plus years, Tony, his brother-in-laws, friends, children and grandchildren would gather together and make sure that the grapes were crushed, fermented, racked and eventually bottled in half gallon containers. It was common to drink one or two of those containers during the Sunday family meals at the cabin when all of the family along with friends gathered together.

Tony loved food, especially pasta and fresh vegetables from his garden. The family dinner at the cabin was where important milestones and successes were celebrated, and good times with many laughs were had - it was where the family bond was strengthened and enduring memories were made. Nothing made Tony happier than the family dinner with good food, a glass of his red wine and his family at his side. He also enjoyed singing and would occasionally entertain us by singing some old Italian songs during dinner.

Tony always stressed the importance of family and deeply loved and was very proud of his children, his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He enjoyed joking around with them and having some good laughs. He always encouraged them to work hard and be the best that they could be. All of his children and grandchildren understood and appreciated the fact that their successes in life were realized, in part, as a result of the hard work and hardships that Tony and Vittoria endured.

So to our beloved Tony, papa and nonno, "Ti amiamo con tutto il nostro cuore". We will miss you but a part of you and your amazing legacy will be with us forever.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Sacred Heart church (5508-48A Ave) on Wednesday, August 1st at 11:00 am with a reception to follow at Tony's cabin in Sylvan Lake, (143 Jarvis Bay Drive, Summer Village of Jarvis Bay) at 3:30 pm.

Condolences may be left for the family at www.eventidefuneralchapel.com.

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