Friday, August 9, 2013
A Tribute to Joe Camazzola. To many he was a Friend. To some he was a Relative, a Cousin, an Uncle, a Father, a Nonno and/or a Husband. To me, he was a Neighbour. We moved into 566 Ridgeway in late 1967 and a couple of years later, the Camazzola’s moved next door. What happened after that has been a God given blessing, borderline miracle. It was like two families grew together as one. Our children grew up together, more like brothers and sisters than neighbours. My wife and Felicia are like sisters and Joe was like the big brother I never had. At one point, we even had a cat, Mork, which adopted Marisa and waited patiently on her steps every day to be cuddled by her when she got home from school. I can’t count the number of times that Joe and I solved “world peace” over a glass or more of his homemade wine. Being a neighbour did give me one added bonus. I never had to drive home. I am here to tell you that some nights, walking home was even a struggle. Having good neighbours is not always what you look for when you buy a new house but it is a blessing when it happens. The Gibson’s have been very blessed in this regard. We all need people to help us get through life’s trials and tribulations. And Joe was ALWAYS there for me and my family. Only time will tell how much I will miss Joe but right now it is very painful. It would be selfish to ask him to suffer any more but I will miss him tremendously and remember him always. Thank you Joe for being all I could ask for as a great friend, neighbor and “adopted” brother. To me Joe was no “Ordinary Joe”, he was an “EXTRAORDINARY JOE”.
