December 8th, 1949 – March 9th, 2024
With sadness we announce the passing of Giorgio Mario Amarilli during the early hours of March 9th surrounded by family. He is loved and will be missed by his wife Gina, his daughters Christina (Greg) and Andrea (Mike) and his beautiful granddaughters Lily, Olivia, and Emma. He will be forever remembered by all who knew him. Giorgio was a hardworking and determined individual who always put his family first. He was an avid gardener who loved the outdoors. We imagine him working on his new and forever garden.
A special thank you to Dr. Stamp-Vincent, the health care providers at the Cancer Clinic and the Hospice Palliative Response Team.
No service by request.
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Gina, Christina, Andrea and family.
A friend for over 50 years. So many memories we shared together. Giorgio will be forever missed. Hugs to all.
Very sorry to hear that, Gina! He was a nice fellow, and we always enjoyed spending time with him (and you). Our thoughts are with you all….
To Zia Gina, Christina, Andrea and family,
Aliza and I are saddened that Zio Girgio has passed, but we know that he is among other family and friends, working in his forever garden and free of any physical pains.
One of the most fond and recent memories I have of Zio, was at Andrea’s wedding, where he was smiling from ear to ear, he was dancing and being social and seemed to be having the time of his life!
This is in contrast to other times we had gotten together, where he was more reserved…so to see him “let loose” at the wedding that day, I remember feeling very happy for him…like ya, that’s my Uncle over there and he’s having a great time!! It was so cool to see him like this, nobody could have ruined that day for him, he was on cloud nine 🙂
Zio Giorgio will surely be missed by his family and all those who were fortunate enough to know, and to spend time with him and Zia Gina.
It’s not goodbye, it’s more like a see ya later Zio…Take a load of for a few moments, relax and enjoy your surroundings.
We love you very much, and we are glad you are at peace.
See ya later Zio,
Love Nicolas & Aliza
Every time I walk by the Manor House and admire the flowers and gardening, I think of Giorgio. I will continue to do so with a smile remembering him fondly.
I am a relatively recent addition to the social circle, having met most of your family over the last year and a half. I spent many hours with Giorgio and Phil helping with the reno of 1204. I especially appreciated the chit chats we all had in between tasks. I enjoyed the camaraderie and humour we all shared, and respected the hard work being done. I am saddened by Giorgio’s passing and extend my heartfelt condolences to you, Gina, and the rest of the family. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.
Dear Gina and family ,
So very sorry to hear of the passing of your dear husband and father.
My visits to Rockland will never be the same.
I have many fond memories of watching Giorgio lovingly tending to the gardens at 1337.What a beautiful legacy he has left.
May God comfort you in this time of great sorrow and give you peace.
Love Ann ( McNulty) McLeese…Mary’s sister.❤️
Dear Gina, Christina, Andrea and family, we are truly saddened by Georgio’s passing. Ken met Georgio over 50 years ago at UVIC, mostly through the UVIC Ski Club. The Club was known for its great ski trips and dances and Georgio was an active participant in both…Zio Georgio definitely knew how to dance!
We had the great fortune to reconnect with Georgio when daughter Christina signed up to play baseball at Beacon Hill Little League. Ken was looking for someone to help him coach our daughter Karla’s team and there was an ‘Amarilli’ on the team list. What are the chances…? One phone call, a ‘yes’ to help coach, and the reconnection was made. There were many fun times to follow. Ken was always delighted to have Christina on one of his teams – not only did she bring her great personality and athletic talents, she also came with her terrific family – Gina, Georgio and Andrea.
We will always remember Georgio with fondness. We have a plant in our backyard that was a present from him years ago and it is even more special now. Rest in peace friend. Our deepest condolences Gina, Christina and Andrea, love Val and Ken
My love to Gina and all the family.
There wasn’t a day that passed by at the Manor House, that I didn’t hear the soft sounds of gardening. I’d follow the sound to say hello, and from the centre of the foliage would appear Giorgio, tending to and caring for his plants with a big grin on his face. How happy it made him!! From out of my window, I see and enjoy the fruits of his labour, and forever they will bring a smile to my face.
Our Condolences to the whole family . Sarandis and Mina
Dear Gina and the whole family,
My thoughts are with you all. Giorgio’s presence in his lovely garden is surely missed – how he would be out there all day, in his element , happy and full of joy. The garden full of all the plant, trees and flowers he so lovingly curated and tended to will be a continuing reminder of his spirit, with lots of love ❤️
To Gina, Christine, Andrea and family,
Jo-Anne and I are very saddened to hear of Giorgio’s passing. We send our condolences to you and your family.
I first met Giorgio at Foothills Elementary in 1975. We became good friends that year.
Giorgio always had these ideas that he would confide with me. The first one was to rearrange the seating in the staff room. Some of the women on staff did not like the new arrangement. They immediately moved the furniture back to what it was! Strike one.
One day a student found a dead beaver on the school grounds. Since Giorgio and I both taught the Fur Trade in Social Studies, he decided that we would skin the beaver and use it in class. We both showed up that evening at school. We proceeded to skin the beaver. We scraped the skin and tacked it on a wooden board. We put the carcass in a garbage can filled with formaldehyde. The next morning the staff were upset with the awful smell lingering in the school! Strike two.
Giorgio always had ideas that would enrich the students. Since we both curled in the Teacher’s Curling League, we would introduce curling to our students. He had made curling rocks out of cement. It was a cold February day when we decided to build a two sheet curling rink under the covered area at the school. We showed up at school after supper to build the two sheets of ice. We finished at 1:00 a.m. Unfortunately, a chinook hit Prince George that morning! When we got to school the next morning the ice had melted!
That spring Giorgio came up with the idea to hold first Prince George and District Kite Festival. We sent notices to all the elementary schools. We held it on a Saturday. Unfortunately, there was no wind that day!
Giorgio and I had some memorable trips together. We went to Jasper for downhill skiing, we did a canoe trip to the Morice River. Another canoe trip was with Gina and Bill Tuomi from Tete Jaune to Dunster. We didn’t realize the river meandered from one side of the valley to the other. We ended up at the Dunster Bridge in the dark!
I will always treasure those memories!
To: Gina, Christine, Andrea and respective families
My deepest condolences to all of you upon the unexpected passing of my dear first cousin, George. George and I have known each other forever and his untimely passing has diminished me…Even though we did not see each other regularly throughout the years, it was comforting for me to merely know that he was always there for me and my own family. If the Fates allow, when we leave this mortal plane, we will see him again, nevermore to part…IN PACE REQUIESCAT, my friend and cousin, with love, Vic
Gina, Christina, Andrea and family
Our thoughts are with you at this time, we hold many fond memories that we will hold and cherish.
To Gina, Andrea, Christina, and family. I share your grief and send my heartfelt condolences on the passing of my cousin George.
George was like a second brother to me during my childhood as I would visit Zio and Zia’s house often since they were a few blocks away and George would come to our house. I’d accompany him often to our main play area Central Park and I remember him taking me along to the Times fishing derby on Ogden Point. There he accidentally hooked Zio’s prized fish tackle box and cast it onto a kelp bed a few feet off the breakwater. He was in agony but a kind fellow angler unbelievably helped him retrieve it.
We’d spend long summer days at the beach at Holland Point with my brother Victor and built a raft using logs and recycled rusty spikes from my father’s workshop. During a storm the raft was washed at least a mile offshore. George was fearless and hopped onto a log and paddled his way out to it and recovered it to our amazement. The raft was so seaworthy that Nonna Rita took a ride on it during one of her visits and waved back to my distraught Mom since aside from George none of us could swim.
I will keep these memories of George close to my heart and thank him for being an inspiration as a dedicated and hardworking loved family member. We miss you George and until we meet again, rest in peace and with love always,
Dennis and Adrian
Maria, So sorry to hear about your brother’s passing. I recall the time I went to George’s graduation. Memorable. Always the gentleman.
Condolences to Gina, his daughters and grandchildren. My thoughts are with you, during this most difficult time. May his gentle spirit be at peace.
Maria, I would very much like to reconnect with you, if possible.
Toni ( nee Boudewyn )
toniandrandy@shaw.ca.
This is Bill Tuomi’s sister Laila speaking on behalf of Bill, his wife Elke, and our brother Bob (Loureen). Giorgio and Gina were dear friends of Bill’s for many years. Our deepest condolences to Gina and to her and Giorgio’s family. Bill and Elke have many happy memories which they will cherish.
We just got to know Giorgio as we moved in as new neighbors. A wonderful man full of energy and always there with a helping hand or words of encouragement.
Enjoy your forever garden Giorgio. 🙏🏻❤️
Dayna & Cole
This is sad news, Gina, but I hope you can find some comfort in your memories of happier times. Giorgio was a great friend and a lot of fun to be around. Condolences to everyone in the family and RIP to an old friend!
Gina ~ My deepest condolences to you and the family. Giorgio will be missed by all who knew him. His passing has come as quite a shock to me ~ just before you called on Sunday March 17, I was telling Leslie about Giorgio building his own kayak and having to learn to do the ‘Eskimo Roll’ (we had been talking about resorts that offer kayaking as their main attraction).
Giorgio and I met in grade 9 (1964/65) at Central Junior High School. We were close through our high school years, sharing many classes, at Central and Victoria High. He was always a good person to be around ~ always practical and levelheaded. At UVic we studied different subjects but both ended up teaching up North ~ he in Dunster and Prince George and I in Quesnel. It was during that time that we both separately answered a call for a Masters Degree program at UVic. We were part of a cohort of 14 adult students completing a hands-on, practical study in our individual classrooms. From September to April classes were held on weekends in Prince George and I remember how thankful I was to be invited to stay weekends at Giorgio and Gina’s house up at the lake for 2 years. Giorgio and I co-authored our Masters thesis based on studies we conducted with our classes.
I will always fondly remember Giorgio and, as you can tell from what I’ve written above, I often recall him with good feelings. He should be an inspiration to us all to seize the day and live life to the fullest.
Gina
Val and I were sad to hear of Giorgio’s passing………we always enjoyed his company.
He was a good man.
Don and Val
Giorgio was a kind and warm person. During the many hours I was fortunate enough to spend in the Amarilli house and yard as a kid I alway felt safe and welcome. ❤️ I believe this was just his energy – the positive energy of a genuine proud husband, father and grandfather. May that last in our hearts. **thinking of you, Christinaleauugh xo
The best land-lord I ever had. So sorry Gina and Family for your loss. R.I.P. Giorgio