CESARE SACCHETTI

CESARE SACCHETTI August 5, 1937 - January 5, 2026
It is with deep love and sadness that we announce the passing of Cesare Sacchetti of Thunder Bay, Ontario, on January 5, 2026, at the age of 88.

Born on August 5, 1937, in Befaro, Castelli (TE), Abruzzo, Italy, Cesare was the son of Marino and Doralice (DiGabriele) Sacchetti. He grew up in postwar Befaro, where scarcity, hard work, and family shaped his character. Leaving school in his early years to help on the family farm, he developed the determination that would define his life.

In 1951, Cesare and his family joined his father who had relocated to Belgium in 1947 to work in the mines. He worked various jobs as a teenager, but his favourite was in a pottery factory, where the rhythm of the wheel and the craft of shaping clay left a lasting impression. After the family returned to Italy in 1957, Cesare immigrated to Canada by ship, arriving in Port Arthur that June. He married Maria Castelli in 1958, beginning a life built on perseverance, partnership, and enterprise.

In Canada, Cesare worked wherever he could day labourer, grocer's assistant making sausages and salumi, plumber before finding his calling in construction. He rose quickly from labourer to superintendent with Thunder Bay Harbour Improvements, contributing to major industrial and institutional projects across Northwestern Ontario. With no formal English education, he taught himself the language at night in order to submit work reports using only dictionaries and sheer resolve.

In 1973, he founded Sacchetti Construction, known for its craftsmanship and integrity in residential, commercial, and industrial work. From homes and grain elevators to paper mills and railway projects, his imprint remains across the region. Today, the company continues to thrive under the leadership of his sons, Leon and Paolo a legacy far beyond what he imagined when he began.

Cesare believed that everything buildings, machines, and lives should be built to last. Tireless and mechanically gifted, he was known for his meticulous preparation and legendary organization. Beyond work, he cherished the traditions of his Italian heritage: wine and sausage making, mushroom foraging, gardening, bocce, polenta nights, and the annual preserving season. His and Maria's cellar was even featured in Canadian Living in 1986 in a story titled "Good Cooking North of Superior."

He loved cards, lively debate, good company, and dancing especially a spirited waltz or polka. Strong-willed and independent, he lived by convictions forged through experience. To know him was to encounter both challenge and inspiration.

In later years, Cesare found comfort in routine: morning coffees, drives around town, visits to the shop, tending his garden, and keeping everything impeccably in order. He took pride in his appearance, especially his perfectly coiffed thick hair, otherwise known as the Sacchetti Nest.

Though not a wide traveller, he returned often to Abruzzo, timing visits with Befaro's August 5 festival for La Madonna della Neve also his birthday. In 1987, he oversaw the restoration of the village church, a gift to the community he never forgot.

Cesare's life was defined by conviction, persistence, and pride in what he built. His message to those who follow: Work hard, believe in yourself, build things to last, and maybe just maybe be willing to change your mind a little sooner than I ever did.

Cesare is survived by his children Gabriella (Antonio Chiavattari), Leon (Patricia Pagliaro), and Paolo (Kerry Joy); grandchildren Michael, Joshua, Ashley, Sara, Matthew, Samantha, Emma, and Andrew; brother Sergio; and many nieces and nephews across Canada, the U.S., Italy, and Belgium. He is predeceased by his parents, siblings Benito, Corrado, Pasquale, Lucio, and Mafalda (and her sons, Marino and Gianni).

Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Luigi Filippini at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 12, 2026 at St. Anthony's Church, with visitation at 10 a.m. Entombment will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Anthony's Parish Building Memorial Fund in memory of Cesare Sacchetti at either: www.stanthonysparish.ca or www.canadahelps.org

To view full obituary, please visit www.harbourviewfuneral.ca