August 13, 2008

Ugo Benedetti
 

Ugo Benedetti didn't leave any instructions about how he should be dressed for his funeral.
Funeral arrangements weren't big on the 82-year-old grandfather's agenda. Rather than dwelling on the hereafter, he was more concerned with making the most of his last remaining days with friends and family before he died at the McMaster University Medical Centre on the weekend.
But his family knew he'd never find eternal peace unless he made an impressive sartorial statement for his last public appearance. Throughout his adult life, he hardly went anywhere without a suit, even grocery shopping.
So mourners who attend his funeral service this morning at Annunciation of Our Lord Church should expect nothing less than a custom-cut Italian suit with a silk pocket square in the breast pocket.
Born in Godega San Urbano, Treviso, Italy, in 1926, Benedetti was every inch an old-world Italian gentleman who brought his sense of style and elegance to Canada when he arrived here in 1948.
Raised in a cultured home in northern Italy, he developed a taste for the finer things in life that he never lost, whether working as a labourer in a factory or hearing cases with the Immigration Appeal Board.
"He was always a gentleman," said Dorothy Davey, who served with him on the board for several years. "It was his carriage and demeanor and his deportment. He was always polite and courteous with the people he worked with and with the lawyers and appellants who appeared before him."
Despite his elegant style, he wasn't the least bit pompous or stuffy, she added.
"He loved and enjoyed life. He still had a great affection for Italy. In his dream, he'd dream of getting a villa in Italy. But when he went there, he couldn't wait to get back to Canada. He was a very proud Canadian."
Like most immigrants, Benedetti had little money and spoke little English when he landed in Hamilton 60 years ago. But it didn't take him long to establish roots in his adopted land. While working at International Harvester, he took English classes at night school.
After leaving the factory, he worked as a salesman in a furniture store and real estate offices. He also did an Italian radio show on CHML and sold genuine Italian soccer equipment from his home in east Hamilton.
Benedetti also worked for the Liberal Party of Canada and was a strong supporter of Hamilton East cabinet minister John Munro.
In 1967, he headed the Hamilton Centennial Committee, which co-ordinated the city's celebration of Canada's 100th birthday.
That same year, he was appointed as a judge to the newly formed Immigration Appeal Board. He spent more than 20 years in that capacity, hearing the appeals of people who'd been refused Canadian citizenship.
Irene Tassi, who was an executive assistant for Munro, said her boss was impressed by Benedetti's intelligence and the work he did for fellow Italian immigrants. He would often help them fill in passport forms and other documents to ease their transition into Canada.
On Aug. 8, the day before he died, Benedetti celebrated his 55th anniversary with his wife Mary (nee Carpani). They had five children and 14 grandchildren.
Paul Benedetti, a former Hamilton Spectator reporter, remembers his father as a great dad who evolved into a doting grandfather.
"He loved to joke and he had a quick repartee. He also enjoyed a ribald humour. People loved his sense of humour and he had a lot of friends," he said.
"He felt very gratified his life had turned out so well."