April 12, 1931 – August 10, 2022

It is with great sadness that the family of Salvatore Emil Ursino announce his passing on August 10, 2022.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Concetta (nee: Bertuccio); son, Thomas (Deanna); and beloved grandson, Massimo of Edmonton. He will also be missed by his sisters, Grazia (Silvano) Poretti of Edmonton and Maria Covassi of Edmonton; as well as numerous nieces and nephews in Canada and the United States. He will also be missed by the extended Bertuccio family throughout the United States and Italy. He was predeceased by his parents, Albina (Stemberger) Ursino and Thomas (Tommaso) Ursino.

Salvatore was born in Vizzini, Sicily, Italy on April 12, 1931 and lived in Italy for his early years. In 1951 Salvatore, with his dear friend, Dorino Loterzo, immigrated to Canada, landing first in Nova Scotia and then took a train out to Western Canada. Salvatore ended up in Northern Alberta working at a sawmill at the age of 20. He also worked in Grande Prairie, and then Edson. Staying in touch with family in Italy, he wrote about how opportunistic Canada was, and sent some hard-earned Canadian dollars back. After that job, he ended up moving to Edmonton, working for Canadian Bedding Company (now known as Sealy).

In 1952 Salvatore sent immigration documents for his family to come to Canada, which the Canadian government accepted. Thank you, Canada, for the opportunity for a better life for the Ursino family.
In the Winter of 1980 Salvatore and brother-in-law Berto Bertuccio decided Edmonton needed good gelato, and good old fashioned real ice cream. After learning the science and technology about gelato in Italy, in 1981 they started experimenting with their products in a back corner of a local restaurant. Soon they were getting requests from some local ice cream shops and restaurateurs. From there, Pinocchio Ice Cream was born. By 1983 Pinocchio’s established a retail location in Edmonton’s west end where they produced the gelato and ice cream in a small batch creamery in the back. They had people coming from all over Alberta to try the wonderful ice cream people were talking about.

Salvatore “retired” from Pinocchio in 2005, but he didn’t really ever retire. On any given day, you could see Sal in the Pinocchio wholesale location, checking out the production or helping put labels on containers. Many family members and friends would stop in for a cappuccino and a chat with Sal and Tom, and he enjoyed every visit.

Salvatore and Concetta were regular worshippers at Santa Maria Goretti Church, and Salvatore was very proud to be involved with the Knights of Columbus for many, many years. Until health challenges kept them from attending more often, they could be found at Saturday mass almost every week.

Most of all, Salvatore was dedicated to his family and set the example for Thomas and Massimo to become honest, caring people with a dose of love for the games of soccer and hockey. His caring manner, beautiful smile and sense of humor will be greatly missed.

Special Thank You goes out to the staff of the University of Alberta Hospital for the wonderful care they provided.

Prayers will be held Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at 8 p.m. at Santa Maria Goretti Roman Catholic Church, 9110 – 110 Avenue, Edmonton.

Funeral Mass Wednesday, August 17, 2022, at 10 a.m. at Santa Maria Goretti Roman Catholic Church. Reverend Father Roy Antony, CFIC officiating with entombment to follow in Holy Cross Mausoleum.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Knights of Columbus, Santa Maria Goretti.