Obituary for
Thomas (Tomasso) Bubba
Obituary of Thomas (Tomasso) Bubba
September 15, 1911 – August 23, 2016
Thomas (Tomasso) Bubba passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at Extendicare Falconbridge, in his 104th year. He was married for 67 years to Alma (Elmira Grassi) who predeceased him on June 2, 2008. He is survived by his four children: Lydia (Steve Jacobson), Robert, James (Veronika) and Gloria Jean, as well as grandchildren Jason (Kelly) and Derrick, and great-grandchildren Ethan, Gracen and Megan.
Mr. Bubba was a longtime resident of the Sudbury area and joined the ranks of Canada’s centenarians on September 15, 2011. At his 100th birthday celebration, he received congratulatory scrolls from Vale, the City of Sudbury, the Premier and Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, the Prime Minister and Governor-General of Canada and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as well as a papal blessing from Pope Benedict XVI.
Born in Caraffa, in the province of Catanzaro, Italy in 1911, he emigrated from his homeland to Canada in 1932. A self-reliant young man with a strong work ethic, he took great pride in securing employment as a labourer within two days of his arrival, working to build the Sudbury Street Railway on Lorne Street. During the Depression, he worked at the Penage Hotel, well known in the Sudbury area for its chicken and spaghetti dinners. Just prior to the outbreak of World War II, he joined the International Nickel Company of Canada (now Vale), where he was employed for 38 years.
He was among the earliest residents of the village of Naughton, where he built his first home after marrying Alma Grassi, of North Bay, in 1940. At the time, Ontario Hydro had not yet reached Naughton, so he put his mechanical ingenuity to work and set up a Delco windmill, harnessing wind power to produce electricity for his gas station and store as well as the family home. For 23 years, he owned and operated the Naughton general store and Esso gas station on Highway 17, serving the needs of the area as well as those of people travelling by car along the Soo road.
After selling the business in 1963, he built Alma’s dream home close by on Simon Lake Drive, where he enjoyed tending his large vegetable and flower gardens. In 2005, he sold the house and moved into Christ the King Centre in Sudbury, where he lived independently until the fall of 2015, which saw his move into Extendicare Falconbridge.
Having completed only the third grade in Italy, Mr. Bubba placed a high value on education and was a pioneer in promoting the cause of Catholic education in both Naughton and Sudbury. He was a member of the first Roman Catholic School Board in Naughton and was proud to witness the established of Our Lady of Fatima School. While his children all attended Catholic schools in Sudbury, he worked tirelessly in the Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) to raise much-needed funds for St. Aloysius Elementary School and St. Charles and Marymount Colleges. At that time, neither college was the recipient of public funding.
His dedication of public service and volunteerism was reflected by his commitment to the Knights of Columbus, in which he served for over 50 years as a Fourth Degree Knight and then as Faithful Navigator and, finally, as Grand Knight. He received two exemplifications by the Knights in recognition of his lengthy service and devotion. Closer to home, he acted as the unofficial and unpaid custodian of the St. Philip Neri mission church in Naughton, shoveling coal on cold Saturday evenings to ensure the church furnace was in good working order to warm the congregation for two Sunday masses. He cared for the church, and every summer he painted the steeple and cross until the church was torn down to make way for the construction of Our Lady of Fatima School. He was a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks in Naughton and was well-known for his volunteer work with the CNIB, Kidney Foundation, Arthritis and Heart Associations and with the Cancer Centre at Laurentian Hospital. In 1998, in recognition of his volunteer service, he was one of the recipients of the first Lieutenant-Governor’s Award for volunteerism.
Both he and Alma would say with pride that the only item they purchased “on credit” was the Singer treadle sewing machine for Alma. Other than that, they lived their entire lives without ever possessing a credit card.
The Bubba family wishes to express its appreciation and thanks to Dr. Roch and the staff of Extendicare Falconbridge for their exceptional level of attention, care and kindness during his residency there. He spent his last days in the same place that his dear wife, Alma, spent her last days. We are deeply touched that the Extendicare staff ensured he was treated with dignity, kindness and respect during the closing chapter of his life.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to either the Alzheimer Society Canada or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Visitation will take place at Jackson and Barnard Funeral Home, 233 Larch Street, on Friday, August 26, 2016 from 2:00 pm to 5:00pm (with parish prayers at 3:00pm) and 7:00pm to 9:00 pm. A funeral mass will be celebrated at Christ the King Church at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 27, 2016, with interment to follow at Sudbury Memorial Cemetery, 365 Second Avenue.