Talosi a great leader who will be missed
Gary Talosi is being remembered as a passionate sports fan who also loved his community and family.
Talosi, who at one time had season tickets to several professional sports team and would often share them with friends and family, died last week in his sleep at home at the age of 73.
Long-time friend Tim Welychka, who volunteered with Talosi on the Welland Sports Wall of Fame committee, said his friend attended the Four Nations Cup in Boston and Montreal and came home not feeling well.
“He was so excited to go,” Welychka said. “I told him it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance and he was pretty excited. We had talked when he came and he had this rough cough going on.
“It was such a big part of his life personally as well for him out in the community. I know he shared a lot of his tickets.”
Talosi, who attended Notre Dame, was a graduate of the University of Waterloo and worked at John Deere for 13 years before joining his younger brother, Steve Talosi, in financial services in 1987.
Steve Talosi said he and his brother were extremely close.
“He was my only brother, but he and I were thick as thieves,” Steve Talosi said. “This has been a tough week for us.”
Steve Talosi said the outpouring of support from the community has been heartwarming.
“It reminds me of my dad because my dad was a police officer in town for 30 years with a European background. He was Hungarian and he dealt with a lot of ethics because he grew up with all these guys. He helped a lot of people and I remember when he passed away 28 years ago people coming through saying all these stories.”
Steve said he takes solace his brother died peacefully.
“He died at home and doing the things he loved doing,” Steve Talosi said. “He loved his sports.”
Gary Talosi recently retired.
“He (and wife Angie) celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary last August. They went to Hawaii for a month and they brought their kids out with them. So God bless him,” Gary Talosi said.
Welychka will miss seeing Gary Talosi in his neighbourhood.
“We were shocked just to lose a neighbour that was liked by everybody around him.”
Welychka said Gary Talosi working on the Wall of Fame committee was a pleasure.
“The committee is going to have some tough shoes to fill. He was so organized, and that just suited his personality to a tee,” Welychka said. “I used to enjoy watching him, you know, work the crowd and just the organization of it and his attention to detail, that was him. He made sure it was run to the best that it could be. He’s leaving a void in many areas.”
Sandra Forand also has fond memories of her time with Gary Talosi on the Wall of Fame committee.
“Gary was such a very great leader,” Forand said. “He allowed everybody to have their role but yet everybody’s opinion was valued and he did it with such a great sense of humour. He would just come up with a line at the appropriate time. People always felt really welcomed with him and I think that’s something that not everybody can do in those roles.”
Forand said Gary Talosi had a way of making everyone feel at ease.
“He was the kind person who loved his family, loved his friends. You’d sit at a table with him and people who never knew him before and he could make you feel like he’s known you for years. That’s the kind of guy he was you know what there’s not a lot of people like him.”
Forand said Gary Talosi was so proud to wear his Team Canada jersey at the Four Nations games.
“He cared so much about Canada and about all of us,” she said. “He’s just a genuine person.”
Forand said this year’s Wall of Fame induction ceremony won’t be the same.
“It’s going to be tough to do it without him,” she said. “There’ll be tears there for sure.”
The Talosi family will receive friends at J.J. Patterson & Sons Funeral Residence, 19 Young St., Welland, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday. A funeral mass will be held Friday at St. Kevin Roman Catholic Church, beginning at 11 a.m., with rite of committal to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.
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