ANTONIO WALTER "TONY" SANTAMAURA

In Loving Memory of Antonio "Tony" Walter Santamaura (August 24, 1924 – October 28, 2015) What a man, what a life - enthusiastic, joie de vivre, imaginative, original, humourous, gracious and elegant! Born and raised in Palermo, Italy, the son of Gaetano and Erminia (nee Tringali) Santamaura, "Ninno" overcame childhood asthma to graduate in Law from the University of Bologna. He practiced in Sicily where, amongst other duties, he acted as personal liaison to the American Ambassador to Italy. Tony immigrated to Canada in 1955. After a brief stint in the investment industry, he joined the Ontario Ministry of Industry and Trade where for the next 30 years he promoted Ontario Industry to the world. Tony was active in the life of the City of Toronto. He took leadership roles in many community associations including the presidency of the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association. His passion for food resulted in the founding of the Toronto Chapter of the Italian based Accademia Italiana della Cucina - a gastronomic society dedicated to the promotion of the Italian cuisine in 1967. His contribution to the Italian community was recognized with two prestigious awards from the Government of Italy, first as a Cavaliere and then as Commendatore Della Repubblica Italiana. Tony gave great energy to his hobbies – spending time at his daughter's cottage in Georgian Bay and antiques. Even though he couldn't swim, he loved to fish. First introduced to him upon coming to Canada, he was always trolling for the next big catch. His other lifelong passion was antiques, especially silver and china. Above everything else, Tony valued family and friendship. From fishing boat captains in the Caribbean, to captains of Industry worldwide, to his weekly Rotary lunches, Tony befriended everyone. Remembered by his loving daughter, Carol