Eligio Paris Obituary, Death – Eligio Paris passed away on November 15, 2022, at the age of 81, in his beloved hometown of Celano, L’Aquila. Tonina Di Tommaso, his first wife of thirty years, and his brother Achille Paris died before him. His second wife, Ivana Leardi, survives, as do his three children, Italo (Eva), Ester (Gaetano), and Evelyn (Andrew), two stepchildren, Luca (Sharifa), and Federica, and seven adoring grandchildren and their partners. His siblings, nieces, and nephews will miss him greatly, as will his extended family and friends both here and in Italy.
Eligio came to Canada when he was 23 years old, in 1964. Tonina, his first love and high school sweetheart, arrived the following year, and they married in 1965, raising three children in a close-knit circle of family and friends, and hosting countless family celebrations in their home. Eligio and Ivana married in 2003 and were married for the next 19 years, and she was by his side until the end. Ital Florist was founded in 1976 by Eligio, a giant in the Toronto-Italian community. For the next 40 years, he worked tirelessly to make it a household name in the Toronto area. Ital Florist, founded in the early 1990s by Italo and Ester, and more recently by his grandson and namesake, Eligius, sets the standard for floral excellence, becoming a leader in the floral industry not only in the United States but also across North America.
In 1969, Eligio and a group of fellow Celanesi founded the Celano Canadian Club, of which he was the founding president. Eligio’s love for his hometown drove him to help build it into the vibrant, active Italian social club it is today, more than 50 years after it began in a stripmall office space on Lakeshore Rd East. Eligio had numerous interests. In 1985, he co-founded the Toronto-Italia Cycling Club. The club supported a group of young aspiring bike racers for ten years, many of whom went on to compete at the national level. The club hosted the annual CHIN Picnic Cycling Race at Exhibition Place under his leadership, raising the sport’s profile in the Toronto-Italian community.
In the early 2000s, Eligio, a true Interista, co-founded the Inter-Milan FC Social Club in Toronto. In his semi-retired years, he could usually be found at Amici Bar, sipping coffee, smoking a cigar, and watching an Inter game with friends. Visitors are welcome at Glendale Funeral Home, 1810 Albion Rd, Etobicoke, on Monday, December 5th and Tuesday, December 6th from 3-9pm (416-679-1803). On Wednesday, December 7th, at 11 a.m., a funeral mass will be held at St Catherine of Siena Church, 2340 Hurontario St, Mississauga. Interment will take place at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, 7300 Highway #27, Woodbridge, Ontario.