Obituary of Federico (Fred) Fracchioni

Fracchioni, Federico (Fred) - To the most fearless person we knew, who empowered us to be everything we could be and more.

Federico (Fred) Fracchioni born February 2^nd1926 in Italy, passed away peacefully, on his own terms at his family home in Grimsby on June 12th 2020 in his 95^th year. Predeceased by the love of his life Della (Romagnoli) and their beloved son of 18 months, Frederick. Son of Luigi and Angelina Fracchioni. Brother to Nino, Pierro, Valerio and Feruccio. Father to Louis and Raymonde (Juaire), Rose and Jim (Farrell), Valerie and Leo (Pitre) and Ernie and Shirley (Zwarts). Loved and cherished by his grandchildren Alleda and Meagan Farrell, Natalie, Claudia and Vincent all of whom were the light of his life. Dad will be serenading his loved ones in Heaven as he loved to do down here on earth. 

We often referred to our father as having the life of a cat, as he was sure to have had 9 lives and if we really wanted to tally all the near misses, it’s probably more. He was fearless and was never one to back down from a challenge. One of his motto’s for life was “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission”, and believe us, he exercised that credence on more than one occasion. His greatest accomplishment as far as he was concerned was his children.

He immigrated to Canada in 1950 looking for a new adventure and a more interesting life and it wasn’t until recently that he confessed that he wanted to return home after a few months. He thought this life here wasn’t for him. He ended up working at the Moyer family farm in Beamsville. It was hard work, especially in the winter. He said he used to stuff his coat with newspaper for insulation to keep warm while pruning in the orchard. He would send most of his earnings back to his parents, but save enough for his plane ticket home to see his family every year on his birthday and kept that tradition going until his Mom and Dad passed away at 90 and 91. This is where his strong “family first” devotion and capacity to be the "Provider" came from.

In 1956, he settled in Beamsville, started his family and with the support of his wife Della beside him, he started his own company "Strada Paving". His tireless work ethic was something to be admired and respected. Few have had the energy and stamina that he possessed. He had his own set of rules and never waivered from them for anyone. At the age of 80 when most are resigned to a sedentary life, he needed to do something more. He convinced Louis to buy a 10 acre grape farm in Vineland, pull the vines out and plant fruit trees. He promised with full intention to work side-by-side with his son until the trees flourished and the fruit ripened ready for market and that’s exactly what he did. He loved every minute of farming. He would spit in his palms, rub them together and get to work. He would say “If your hands aren’t dirty, you weren’t working hard enough”.

We remember him in his 80s riding on the back of Valerie's motorcycle showing no fear. He would be waving his cane yelling at everyone to get out of the way. Valerie would cringe for the first few minutes, and then just accept and laugh and laugh. Freddie was up for anything. He had no inhibitions. The only medication he was on was a good glass of Red Wine up until the end.

Dad was a devout Catholic and would attend church every Sunday. Anyone that was lucky enough to converse with him always left with a lesson learned. “When you sleep with the dogs, you catch the fleas”, was another motto of his. He was a man of few words but his wit and one-liners were legendary. He could be found often charming the ladies with that intoxicating smile at our family fruit market “Simply Fresh” in Grimsby.

He loved to laugh, he loved to sing, he loved to dance, he loved…

At the age of 92 he had a debilitating back injury that left him restricted to a bed and walker. The doctors said he would never walk again, but they didn’t know Freddie and he proved them wrong. The one thing he always stressed was that he’d rather be in the cemetery than end up in an old age home. We made that come true for him.

Our family would like to express our gratitude to Leo Pitre and Trish Geroux for showing exceptional compassion and care for our father which allowed us to keep him at home, as well as some special Paramed PSW's, you know who you are, and also the caring nurses from St. Elizabeth's. We would also like to thank Dr. Ireland for the compassion and care that he showed our father over the years.

In lieu of flowers a donation to the SPCA, Salvation Army or a charity of your choice to help the less fortunate in Freddie's name would be greatly appreciated, as my parents always had room at our table for anyone who was hungry. Ciao Amore, Your name will be spoken of with love and admiration for the rest of our lives.

Visitation will take place at the Vineland Chapel of Tallman Funeral Homes, 3277 King St., Vineland, on Tuesday June 16th, 2020 from 2-4:30 and 7-9pm. Funeral service will take place Wednesday June 17th, 2020 at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church,  135 Livingston Ave, Grimsby at 11am. “Take it easy and go fast”.