August 01, 1940 – August 07, 2022 Frank Augusto DeAngelis La Dolce Vita
We consider ourselves blessed at having had Frank’s joy of living life to its fullest touch our souls. Because of him we love more, live more, and share with one another in meaningful ways.
Whether you know him best as Za Zza, The Godfather, Dad, Mr. D., or Papa D. , matters not. You know him as your close friend who always had time for a shared meal with you, usually with a glass of wine, and brandy or sambuca for dessert.
He was the one who argued with you kindly about whatever wrong opinion you held. He was the one whose stories got larger and more engaging the longer you knew him.
Dad you will always remain larger than life in our memories. We will remember you always, and we will honour you by living life to the fullest, as you taught us.
For our Dad, the best times in life were the times he spent with his family and the time he spent with his friends. We are honoured that you came to celebrate stories of Frank’s Life with us today.
Born August 01, 1940 in the ancient town of Aiello, Calabria, Italy, to loving parents Francesco and Anna DeAngelis, Frank was officially named Augusto (August) , named after the month he was born in. Like his father, however, he was always known to everyone who knew and loved him as Frank. With his younger sisters Rosaria (Buffone) and Emma (Volpe), the family shared their life with dozens of aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family in the Aiello Calabria region. grewFrankup knowing love, family and friendship to be the most important values in life. In the sun drenched hills overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, he apprenticed with his father Francesco as a shoe maker, working at a
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
small shop in the village Life in the post war Southern Italy of the 1940s and 1950s was mostly agrarian, and the economy ran on a bartered exchange of goods and services. Money and jobs were scarce, but the extended family shared what they had, never went without, and were well known to everyone in Aiello.
The 1960s saw a great migration of immigrants from Aiello Calabria to Canada. Arriving in Edmonton as a dashingly good looking young man of 21 in 1961, he settled with his parents and sisters in the 97th street area of Edmonton, with much of the extended family and larger tamanywhereatbecamenearby.communityItalianHequicklywellknownnearbyBarItalia,hespentsohoursspinningletalesoveracupof coffee or playing the Italian card game scopa. He was given the nickname “Za-Zza” during this time, a moniker
1961 – EMIGRATE TO CANADA
THAT’S AMORE
Frank met his eternal love, Marie Suter, in 1963. They married October 23rd, 1965. Marie was one of seven children and also had a large cousins,aunts,aneverFrankfamily,extendedsotogetherandMarieexperiencedshortageofuncles,parents,
that stayed with him all his life in the Italian community. Many of his Italian friends didn’t even know his real name! Further away, but close in his heart, were aunts, uncles, and 10 first cousins in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Frank worked with his Father as a shoemaker in a small shop on 97th Street before also working as a cook at the St. Joseph’s College and at the Edmonton Inn. Following his time as a cook, he went on to work other labour and construction jobs, doing his part in helping the City of Edmonton to grow to what it is now from the very small city it was when he arrived.
time Frank supported his family by being an independent owneroperator of a gravel truck, quickly becoming known by his C.B. radio handle as “the Godfather”, with his truck being proudly given the same name. The family moved from little Italy to a home on 163rd street in 1969, and many will recall the large gravel truck garage being constructed at the family’s home.
Having a Gravel Truck in the City was not ideal, so Frank, Marie, and their young children moved to a home on a five acre lot in Osborne Acres on Spruce Valley Road, 5 minutes east of Spruce Grove. La
SHANGRI LA ON SPRUCE VALLEY ROAD
1969followedMarie(Sheri);Michae(Carole),lAgustoandAnna(Tim)in1966,and1970.Aroundthis
grandparents and friends to share their lives with. Children Frank Jr.
Many will fondly recall events large and small, a glass of homemade wine and pasta, a huge garden tended by Frank’s mother Anna, horses, rabbits, chickens, cats and dogs, summer barbecues and winter ski-doo parties, too numerous to mention.
With three young children, a halcyon era followed of endless time spent at hockey and ringette games, gymnastics, dirt bikes, skidoos and skiing, most often with neighbors, family and friends, with Frank becoming well known in the Spruce Grove and Acheson communities.Always generous, gregarious, and engaging, there was no escaping Frank’s charm, kind spirit, and genuine love of people.
passion:true
Dolce Vita (the good life) followed at the acreage for the next four decades.
LA DOLCE VITA (THE GOOD LIFE)
The 1980s were a time of transition. Frank, Michael and Anna all graduated from Spruce Grove Composite High School and started their careers, and Frank got out of the trucking business to return to his COOKING!
After working at Tumbleweeds on Edmonton’s west end, he opened his first Italian Restaurant, La Pergola, in 1986, on 106th Street in Edmonton. Frank is best known for the restaurant he started in 1988: Frank’s Place Trattoria, located on Rice Howard way in downtown Edmonton. Here Frank was in his glory and often held court with many family and friends in the hours following the busy lunch Herush.mingled effortlessly with the numerous accountants, lawyers, engineers, and other professionals who frequented Frank’s Place Trattoria, also known as Italy in the Alley.Who can forget the chicken pizziola, “half and half” seafood and tomato sauce, the original recipe “Jumbalaya”, and coffee with sambuca, served with a smile, a kind heart, by an engaging host. The laughter was infectious. Frank moved Frank’s Place Trattoria ½ block East on Rice Howard way in the mid. 1990’s to a
PacificFrank’srestaurantrenaminglargernewer,location,thePlaceFish, Steak and Italian food. He then undertook the
“I’m not here for the money, I just love to cook” was his motto, so each day he served others was a day he enjoyed immensely.
GRANDCHILDREN
daunting task of building a brand new location in Spruce Grove from scratch, which second location opened in November of 1993. Son Michael was given the reins under Frank’s guidance, and Frank’s Place Spruce Grove operating until 2005, at which time it was reworked as Michael’s Grill and Lounge, retaining the Italian Food favourit es that made Frank’s Place a household name in Spruce Grove.Thousands celebrated their Birthdays, Anniversaries, Weddings, Mother’s Days, Fundraisers, Graduations and so many other events with Frank, and he genuinely appreciated and enjoyed being a part of the celebrations.
The activetearnedcould2001PlacelocationEdmontonofFrank’sclosedinsothatFrankstarthiswell-retirement,houghheremainedasamentorand host extraordinaire at the Spruce Grove location until it was sold in
2012 (though a restaurant continues operations in the same location to this day). The 2000s gave Frank an even greater opportunity to share his love, wisdom, and guidance with the arrival of Grandchildren
Colton Schaal and Dezmond DeAngelis in 2001, Ethan Schaal in 2003, and Dayton DeAngelis in 2006. Step Grandchildren Tyler and Emmitt Barr joined the family in 2016. Known to many of his children’s previouslyfriendsas“Mr. D.”, he now acquired yet another nickname as Papa D., Frank regaled everyone he spoke to with stories about how happy and complete his life was in first watchi ng the success in their own lives of his three children, and then watching his Grandchildren become the fine young men they have become. He busted with pride when bragging about his family’s accomplishments. In his last
months, he also took great pride and comfort in knowing that his legacy of honest hard work, compassion, and a zeal for living life to its fullest will survive him. We are proud to carry on his traditions!
TIME IN THE SUN
Frank made every effort he could to spend as much time as he could with SpruceseeingGrandchildren,histheminGrove, Vermont, and at his second home in Mazatlán, Mexico, as often as he could. Frank and Marie had vacationingstartedin Mazatlán in the 1990s, and rented an apartment year round after his retirement, approximatelyspendingsix months a year in Mazatlán. Frank and Marie purchased a condo. at Marina Mazatlán overlooking the Marina with the Sea of Cortez in the distance in 2008, the same year they also ended 40 years at the acreage and moved into a condo. at King Street on the Park in Spruce Grove. A summer home and a winter place in the sun, who could ask for more? Both homes were filled with
love and laugher, a constant stream of visitors, and too many shared meals and celebrations to count.Mazatlán
warmed Frank’s heart and soul as it reminded him of a simpler time in Aiello Calabria. The sunshine, warm ocean breezes, and the mountains in the background brought back happy memories of his childhood in Italy, as did the bartering and family lifestyle he did everywhere he lived, Frank built community in Mazatlán, with an familyextendedof50or so likeminded snowbirds. Frank, together with his extended snowbird family, became known simply as “The Italians” by many of the locals in the restaurants, beaches and other places they frequented.
enjoy.MexicansAs
The muchoccurrence,bemoregroupsnightspartiesdinnerandoutwithof12orseemedtoadailyandfunand
laughter was shared on the Playa, Tony’s on
the Beach, Chile Peppers, and the Centro Plaza, with Sunday night dinner and dancing to the at the Playa Mazatlán being a weekly essential, as well enjoying the musical styling of Rafael at Gus Gus at the Marina every Wednesday.Frankwas
one of the few who braved travel to Mexico in 2020, and he insisted on going every year including this one, returning to Edmonton in February of 2022. He loved Mazatlán and the people he shared it with, and Frank’s family admires his courage and conviction of living his life to the fullest, squeezing out every last minute in the Mexican sun that he Frankcould. also took time during his golden years to travel with family and friends. Trips included a bus tour across Canada with Marie to visit daughter Anna in Vermont, a final trip in 2008 to Sicily and his beloved Aiello with Frank Jr. and Carole, summers in Windermere with Michael and Sheri and their children, and a few cruises in the Caribbean, including a family trip with Grandsons Colton and Ethan. Of course, the yearly pilgrimage to Mazatlán was never
missed. Though he struggled at times with health issues during these travels, he wasn’t going to miss a minute of time with his family and friends.
I DID IT MY WAY
Frank taught his children well the importance of working hard, being sincere and genuine, and serving others. He did so not only with his words, but with his actions. Frank and Michael’s childhood hockey team mates all remember Pizza Parties at Peter’s Pizza hosted by Frank, even 40 years later.
Guided by his internal moral compass, Frank had a strong sense of right and wrong. If you were on the other side of an issue, you knew it and orthings:twotherelikedlater.regrettedlikelyitAsFranktosay,areonlywaystodoMywaythewrongway.
He also would remind us often that there are only two types of people: Italians, and people who want to be Italians!Frank wouldn’t take “no” for an answer, so he always found a way to make things
happen, big or small. He cajoled, he finessed, he insisted, and he charmed others until he got his way. Those who knew him well may have “occasionally” heard him raise his voice a wee bit, with arms waving for emphasis, but these moments were always well intentioned and soon forgotten. Wherever Frank led, others followed.
In his final months, with his health failing, Frank knew that his journey was near its end on this earth. He spent his final months sharing the wisdom of his lifetime: Love other.each Don’t fight. Don’t work
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
fear. Pursue your dreams. Share what you have with others. Be generous. Take care of one another. He took comfort in his family and friends, knowing that he was loved and admired and that our
proudly,yourmuch.tooLivelifewithout
memories of his generosity,kindness, fun and on.naturegregariouswillliveWealltake
inspiration from Frank’s life, so well lived, with Frank reaching our hearts so profoundly in so many ways.Frank joined his ancestors early in the morning of Aug. 07, 2022, a few days after his 82nd birthday. Frank wanted his ashes to be interred together with his mother Anna at the Holy Cross cemetery in the family plot, which will occur at a future date. He spoke often of wanting to see his Mother and Father again, and we know they are all together celebrating his arrival back home, keeping a watchful eye on those of us who remain behind with the joyful memories of La Dolce Vita that Frank gave to us
DeAngelis,AnnaFrancescobypredeceasedFrankall.ishisparents,andand
his sister, Rosaria Buffone. He is survived by his loving wife Marie, beloved children Frank Jr. (Carole), Michael Augusto (Sheri), and Anna Marie Schaal (Tim); Grandchildren Colton Schaal, Dezmond DeAngelis, Ethan Schaal, Dayton DeAngelis, Tyler Barr, and Emmitt FarewellBarr.Papa D! You are loved not just by us, but also by so Yourmany.legacy will endure in our hearts forever!!
Fightin' was against the rules and it didn't matter why When dad got home I told that story just like I'd rehearsed Then stood there on those tremblin' knees and waitin' for the Andworsthe said Let me tell you a secret about a father's love
I got sent home from school one day with a shiner on my eye
A secret that my daddy said was just between us He said daddies don't just love their children every now and then It's a love without end, amen It's a love without end, amen When I became a father in the spring of '81 There was no doubt that stubborn boy was just like my father's son And when I thought my patience had been tested to the end I took my daddy's secret and I passed it on to him I said
Let me tell you a secret about a father's love A secret that my daddy said was just between us I said daddies don't just love their children every now and then It's a love without end, amen It's a love without end, amen Last night, I dreamed I'd died and stood outside those pearly gates When suddenly I realized there must be some mistake If they know half the things I've done, they'll never let me in And then somewhere from the other side, I heard these words
Andagainthey said Let me tell you a secret about a father's love A secret that my daddy said was just between us You see daddies don't just love their children every now and then It's a love without end, amen It's a love without end, amen
When the stars make you drool just like a pasta e fasul, that's amore, That's amore
Bells will ring ting a ling a ling, ting a ling a ling, And you'll sing "Vita bella"
When the stars make you drool just like a pasta e fasul, That's amore
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, You're in love
That's amore
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, You're in love
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, That's amore
When you walk in a dream but you know you're not dreaming signore Scusami, but you see, back in old Napoli, That's amore
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore, That's amore, When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, that's amore
Hearts will play tippy tippy tay, tippy tippy tay
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, That's amore
Bells will ring ting a ling a ling, ting a ling a ling And you'll sing "Vita bella" (Vita bel , vita bella)
Like a gay tarantella, Lucky fella
When you walk in a dream but you know you're not dreaming signore Scusami, but you see, back in old Napoli, That's amore Amore, that's amore
Hearts will play tippy tippy tay, tippy tippy tay, Like a gay tarantella
