My grandparents were Maria Ammareta and Eugine Spina and Maria Barone and Francesco Tedesco. Both grandfathers left the town of Pietrafitta in the Province of Cosenza, Italy and arrived in North Bay in the late 1800s. They found jobs on the railroad. They returned to Italy just before WW1.

My mother, Virginia Spina and father, Guisseppe Tedesco met and married in Pietrafitta, Cosenza, Italy in 1938. I was born in 1939. My father served in the war for Italy and was a P.O.W held in England until 1946. He returned to our town and my parents had two more children. My sister Ersilia and my brother Gino.

My father came to Canada on his own in 1951 sponsored by his aunt and uncle. (The Barones) He found a job at the O&R after only three days here. He bought a house on Percy Street and sent for his family to join him in 1953. Our ship left Naples on December 8,1953 and landed in Halifax on December 18,1953. We took a train to Montreal where Dad met us and we took the train to North Bay.

My father continued to work for the railroad and my mother took pride in looking after her large garden. She loved sharing her vegetables. My parents also made their own prosciutto, salami, capicolo and sauce.

I attended St. Rita’s school and studied English at North Bay Collegiate Institute. I lived on Percy St. until my marriage in 1958.

I worked at Loblaws when I was sixteen and there, I met my future husband, Lou Gosselin. We were married at St. Rita’s church. Our reception was held at the Empire Hotel. We bought a house on McIntyre Street. We started our family right away and became the proud parents of five daughters. (Joanne, Nancy, Janet, Louise and Mary Lou).

Lou worked for Loblaws for 23 years and in 1973 he and I started our own business. It was a specialty foods store on Trout Lake Road, and we called it The Consumer Fruit Market. We had our new home built on MacBeth Crescent in 1971.

In 1975 we closed the fruit market and built another home on Lakeshore with a new business in the front which opened in 1977. It was called The Lakeshore Deli and Lunch Counter. We specialize in homemade foods. It was a gathering place for the North Bay community and tourists. In 1983 we moved into the residence behind our business.

Lou survived a stroke in 1991. I kept the business going until 1995. My father passed in 1997. Lou passed away in 2005.

I have since devoted my time to my children and looking after my mother until she passed in 2015.

I also have been involved with many local clubs and homeless and hospice charities. (The Davedi Club, The Golden Age Club, The Catholic Women’s League etc.).

In 2013, I was the recipient of The Merit Award from Golden Age Club, and 2024, I was honoured for my long time service with the Davedi Club as a volunteer. In 2022 and 2024, I served on the Davedi Club’s Board of Directors with the Ladies Auxiliary.

I will continue to work on the Davedi Club’s Board of Director for 2025-26 term. I am 85 and I’m very proud of my family history in North Bay.