Joseph Gino Durante

Joseph Gino Durante, Dad, Grandad, Great Grandad, Uncle Joe, “Joe Dad”, or Joe (to most), had many roles in his lifetime. Whether it was as a building contractor, sports enthusiast, Italian event committee member, provider, friend, son, brother, husband, son-in-law, father, father- in-law, uncle, cousin, grandfather, or great grandfather; Joe took on all these roles with dedication, conviction, and commitment. No favour too big, no job too difficult, no call for help unanswered. Might have been in his own time, but for Joe there were no half measures. He held the same credo for his interests whether it was travel adventurist, music buff, dancer, early adopter of technology, photographer, or fisherman…in all roles and interests, the common denominator was that Joe was always looking to meet life head-on; to provide a helping hand with advice and support to everyone he ever met; and to embrace change.

Reflecting on Joe’s 94 plus years one wonders at the key to such a long life. Mostly his family contributes his longevity to his amazing zest for life and uncanny way of looking at progress with childlike wonder, but also a smidge of stubbornness, which served him well in his last few years through some difficult medical challenges which he would always overcome to everyone’s surprise and amazement and gratitude for the extra time together.

Joe’s interests in life were many. He loved to hit the road with the family whether it was for a long-weekend camping trip, day trips to water ski at Whatcom Lake or picnic at Boundary Bay, heading to California to visit cousins and take the kids to Disneyland; all were met with the same enthusiasm to experience life to the fullest. Joe enjoyed music, he loved fishing, would be the first to hit a dance floor, he was the family photographer, and Joe was a snappy dresser – somewhere along the line Joe began an affinity for his Tilly hat, but his hat and tie collections were vast. Over his lifetime Joe was always on top of technology trends by researching and embracing the ‘newest’ gadget. From HiFi’s and TVs of the 1950’s to computers in the new millennium and everything in between. If there was a new gadget, he wanted it… including all the iterations of TVs and peripherals (from Betamax to DVD); mobile phones (Motorola ‘brick’ comes to mind), a car phone; gadgets were always on the flyer ‘must watch’ list.

Joe was a true Renaissance Man, but a big passion was sports. There was rarely an evening after work or a weekend that the radio or TV (often both) were not tuned to whatever sports offering was available. Whether it was Hockey, Baseball, Golf, Soccer, or Lacrosse, there was no saturation point…but the favorite among these for Joe (and a passion wife Ruth shared) was Lacrosse.

Joe and Lacrosse were synonymous. Joe began playing box lacrosse in his teens and quickly his agility and goal scoring aptitude had him playing with some of the greats of the sport in the 1940s through to early 1950’s when a knee injury sidelined Joe from playing. Joe then began to participate at the executive level as a Scout with the Vancouver Burrards. Joe held this post as Scout for the Vancouver Burrards for many years including at least one Mann Cup championship year.

Joe was born September 29, 1928 in Vancouver, to Fantino and Elisabetta “Lisa”, followed June 1930 by his beloved brother Ernest “Ernie” (deceased 2016); followed in 1933 by his cherished sister Mary; and finally by his lifelong friend and brother Robert “Bob” in 1936 (deceased 2018). The Durante family lived on Prior Street in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Vancouver where Joe honed his skills in many sports and where Joe formed bonds of friendship and camaraderie that spanned his 94 years. In retirement years the ‘Prior Street Gang’ would try to meet weekly for lunch and share stories of the old neighbourhood; and there are still a handful of the group from Strathcona attending these lunches.

Joe attended Vancouver Technical High School in East Vancouver where he found his lifelong career choice of carpentry and where he met Ruth Daykin, his future wife, at a school dance.

Joe spent several years working for some larger construction concerns, and eventually founded his own building business which spanned more than 40 years and saw countless quality custom-built homes throughout the lower mainland, including the family home in South Vancouver where he and Ruth raised their 5 kids and lived for 58 years. Joe was meticulous in his craft as a carpenter and his quality-built homes were much sought after because of his attention to detail and dedication to quality framing workmanship and finishing. In later years, Joe’s attention turned to finishing the family cottage at Sheridan Lake which became the centre of Joe’s long weekend activities; often finishing up his construction job on a Friday at 5pm and heading for the 6-hour drive to the cottage. Joe loved to be there looking out to the lake – we suspect pondering if there really is any fish out there, but he always seemed to catch a few.

Joe met Ruth Daykin at a Van Tech school dance - no surprise there, as they both loved to dance - in fact, dance floors would clear when Joe and Ruth started to Jitterbug (which they did often over their 58 years together). Joe and Ruth settled in South Vancouver’s Killarney area in the 1950’s and began their family life together with their children David, twins Raymond and Marianne, followed later by Anna-Marie, and Annette. Ruth was the Yin to Joe’s Yang. They shared so many of the same interests, yet they were able to both embrace their individuality. The biggest common ground was the lifelong commitment to provide well for their 5 children, which they did. Joe and Ruth loved to be with family and friends, resulting in them hosting many wonderful gatherings at the family home and the family cottage. There was never a dull moment in the Durante household. Family life was filled with kid’s sports and kid’s school activities, neighbours & neighbourhood events, bowling leagues, camping trips, sports groups, day trips to picnic, a trip to Waikiki, and many drive trips to California which culminated in a lifelong bond with the Daykin cousins, Jerry and Ann and family. In retirement years Joe and Ruth vacationed often with friends and family on cruises, or in Arizona for golf; or getaways to the cottage; but most of all they also continued on hosting a myriad of events for their extended families and many friends from all walks of life.

Church was an integral part of Joe and Ruth’s family life together. Joe and Ruth were there for ground-breaking of the original Corpus Christi school and were devoted members and contributors to the parish for 60 years.

Joe was a devoted son to his mother Lisa and father Fantino; and dedicated to his brother Ernie, with whom he shared a close bond. Joe built his parents and brother Ernie a home just a block from he and Ruth so they could be closer to family around the time Ernie was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Joe’s sister Mary Maddalozzo and her husband Bob and their family held a special place in Joe’s heart for being the ‘glue’ in the Durante family and for fostering the family’s Italian heritage which was a mainstay in the Durante household.

Joe’s brother Robert “Bob” and Donna and their family lived just a few blocks further south and remained close with Joe. Bob was more than a brother to Joe he was his friend and Bob and Donna were instrumental in taking care of Fantino and Lisa and Ernie until they passed, for which Joe was forever grateful.

All the way through to his last days Joe cherished family visits, where just the mention of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren’s names would bring a smile.

Joe was very proud of all his children, and he found a way to bond with each of them in their own unique way.

Joe and son David share interests which seem to run the spectrum. David can feel at ease with a hammer and level, having worked on various renovation projects together with Joe, but also both Joe and David shared a passion for minding the details to manage the finer aspects of business life. Added to this, both Joe and David share a passion for sports, a sweet tooth, the great ability to really ‘cut a rug’, and pursuing travel adventures which David embraces wholeheartedly in retirement, along with his partner Diana.

Joe and son Raymond share a vast array of interests but one of the traits that Ray and Joe share is their belief that no call for help is unanswered. Ray is one of those people who is very giving of his time to anyone who asks, just like Joe. Ray and wife Janet share this trait, and passed on to Joe’s granddaughter Amy, who is cut from the same cloth for sure. Ray also contributed to building projects with Joe, not only around the house in South Vancouver but also taking greyhound buses on weekends through high school to help Joe build the family cottage at Sheridan Lake. Joe and Ray also shared a passion for sports but especially lacrosse, not only as players, but also for Ray as a Referee to the sport. In later years, Joe’s passion for technology didn’t wain, and Ray spent countless hours with Joe showing him how to use this new gadget or that, at the house.

Daughter Marianne and Joe share a passion for some of the finer things in life and in bringing the family together. Joe would literally stop and smell the roses and appreciated flower gardens immensely. Neither of them has met a flower they didn’t like. Joe was also a snappy dresser and insisted on a jacket and tie for special occasions. In later years, after Ruth passed, Marianne would be the first person to ensure Dad’s clothes (and his Tilly hat) were cleaned, pressed and snappy. The passion for family events is deeply held by both Joe and Marianne with countless numbers of family events hosted by Marianne and Rick. The same passion is also shared by Joe’s grandsons Christopher and Kyle who continue on the tradition of bringing families together. When possible, in recent years, Marianne or Joe’s grandsons would bring Joe's great-grandkids to visit , which brought a great deal of joy – especially if treats were involved (for the kids AND Joe).

Daughter Anna-Marie and Joe share a passion for music and travel. Joe introduced all types of music to the family by playing records on Sunday afternoons in the dining room; and later Cassette tapes & CDs would be heard throughout the house via 3-foot speakers in the basement, meaning the house would fill with all types of music. Music became a strong bond between Joe and Anna-Marie, especially Pavarotti. Travel planning is also a passion shared by Anna-Marie and Joe. Anna-Marie would suggest something to Joe (and Ruth) who would almost immediately say “yes, let’s do it”, and before long 26 family members were off on a cruise to Alaska; or a group was off to tour Italy together; or a group heading to Arizona for a week of golf; or family from Canada plus California cousins are meeting in Las Vegas for a family reunion. In later years, a lot of time was spent together between Joe and Anna-Marie simply sharing anecdotes and reminiscences of good times, which were always well received by Joe, even if he was unable to participate in events any longer.

Daughter Annette & Joe share in the passion of home construction and renovation. Over the years Annette has had several homes built to her, and Joe’s, exacting standards. Joe enjoyed taking weekend drives out to see the progress and lend a hand where asked. Another common and shared pleasure was the cottage at Sheridan Lake where Annette, with husband Kyle, were instrumental in the ongoing upkeep especially when Joe was unable to make the long journeys. Annette & Joe also shared an appreciation for cars. While Joe was a ‘Ford’ guy both he and Annette appreciate the finer elements of a well kept and fine-looking automobile in the garage. In later years when photos became a mainstay in Joe’s world, Annette was instrumental in making sure that Joe was surrounded at his care home by history and happy memories of a life well lived.

Joe had a bond it seems with everyone he met over the years, too numerous to count, but some very significant bonds included the Cervi cousins Bruno (Lina), Marino (Mitzi), Leno (Kathleen), Johnny (Evelyn) and their families; the extended Maddalozzo families; the extended Durante families; the Barils; the Daykin families both in Canada and USA; the extended Lowe families; the MacDonalds; cherished friends the Eshoms; Cecelia Gilmore; Bruce Keller; many lasting friendships formed during Joe’s sports affiliations like Bob Parry, Bob Salts, Wally Donaldson to name just a few; and numerous lifelong friends from the Strathcona and Killarney neighbourhoods; and from Corpus Christi parish.

Whatever part that Joe/Dad played in our lives, he led a long and meaningful life and will be fondly remembered and missed by all who knew him.

Joe was predeceased by his wife Ruth Durante (2009); parents Fantino Durante (1989) & Elisabetta Durante (2000), brother Ernest Durante (2016), brother Robert Durante (2018) and son-in-law Richard Lowe (2021).

Joe is survived by his children David Durante (Diana), Raymond Durante (Janet), Marianne Lowe (Richard deceased), Anna-Marie Durante, Annette Durante (Kyle McCreedy); his grandchildren Christopher Lowe (Vanessa), Kyle Lowe (Amanda), Amy Durante Brown (Adam); his great grandchildren Kaius Lowe, Bennett Brown, Ryker Lowe, Jett Lowe, Morgan Brown, Maddox Lowe, Peyton Lowe, Kaiden McCreedy; his sister Mary (Bob) Maddalozzo; his sister-in-law Donna Durante; nephews, nieces, cousins; extended family; and scores of friends.

Rest in Peace Joe.

Service (May 2, 2023) Arrangements by Ocean View/Dignity Memorial

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.OceanViewFuneral.com for the Durante family.