The Canadian development industry is mourning the loss of a man who helped build Toronto: Angelo DelZotto, Chairman Emeritus of Tridel, who passed away last week at the age of 89.
Angelo, the visionary leader of Tridel, the great Canadian company that has built homes for over one-hundred-thousand families, passed away peacefully with his wife Carol and his daughters by his side on Friday, July 31.
Tridel was founded by Jack DelZotto, an Italian stonemason who came to Canada in 1927 and first worked in mines near Timmins before arriving in Toronto where he helped lay bricks for the Park Plaza Hotel. Jack DelZotto went on to build his first single-family home in 1934 in the Bloor and Dufferin area.
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The company, whose name refers to the three (tri) DelZotto brothers, was later passed over to DelZotto's three sons, Angelo, Elvio, and Leo.
According to the Tridel website, Angelo, Jack’s eldest son, "was ahead of his time in a lot of things and a true innovator, who built the first apartment complex in 1961, featuring twin towers, a swimming pool, a recreation centre and landscaped grounds, the forerunner of today’s modern condominium."
In the following decades, Tridel became one of the largest builders of apartment and condominium towers in Canada.
"Angelo liked to say he created shelter and his joy in life came from connecting people to their families, their communities and their home. He sheltered so many. He sheltered us all in a way that only he could; with wisdom and a quiet humble strength that made us all become a greater version of ourselves," reads Angelo's obituary.
"He has touched so many lives in so many ways; as a transformational leader, a son, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and more. His impact is too great to capture in a few words. Always humble and always a gentleman, he achieved and did so much for others leaving a legacy of kindness and an unrelenting belief in the goodness of people."
"Angelo, who liked to say he graduated from the scaffold, has now transcended to that final achievement where he and we, can reflect on a life well lived in every way. A life with purpose and integrity. A life of a well respected and much loved man."
At this time, the family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Angelo's name to Sunnybrook Hospital Intensive Care Unit & Palliative Care who gave the family exceptional care and comfort, so they, in turn, may continue to support others.
You can read Angelo's full obituary and pay your respects here.
