SHIRLEY PICCA

It is with great sadness, we announce the passing of Shirley Picca on December 4, 2020.

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Shirley will be deeply missed by her son, Daniele; daughter-in-law, Vanessa and her three granddaughters Calla, Adley, and Anniston. She leaves her former husband, and good friend, Cosmo (Sharon); brother, Gordon; close family in Italy; special friends Margaret and Herbie, Tomasina and John, and Marilyn and Vic; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends whom she cherished. She was predeceased by her mother, Ethel; father, Mitchel; sisters Dorothy and Margaret; brother, Keith; many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins who were close to her heart.

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Shirley was a beautiful person who cared incredibly about others, went out of her way to make others feel loved and taken care of and has impacted the world around her more than she ever knew.

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Shirley was born on April 10, 1950 in Carlyle, Saskatchewan to her parents Ethel and Mitchel Podolos. As a child, she spent time with her siblings Dot, Gordon, Margaret, and Keith on the family homestead in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She graduated from John Taylor Collegiate and went on to work various jobs including multiple decades at the North West Company. Shirley had an incredibly strong work ethic that did not go unnoticed, often teaching the younger generation the value of hard work.

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In 1974 Shirley married Cosmo Picca and enjoyed spending time in Italy over the years, building strong relationships with extended family and learning how to cook Italian food. In 1979 Shirley had her son Daniele, who became the light of her life. She spent his childhood devoted to him, volunteering at school, attending his many sporting events and never missed a soccer game as this became his main passion. Shirley would go out of her way to ensure Daniele and all of his friends got to every soccer game. She was the epitome of a devoted and loving mother.

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In her retirement, Shirley worked at Food Fare Maryland where she became family to Ramsey and the Zeids as well as the community of customers. The West Broadway/Wolesley community felt Shirley’s love, generosity, and positivity over the years, expressing great loss in her passing. For fun, Shirley enjoyed reading mystery novels, cooking, a glass of red wine and visiting with those who meant the most to her. She also had a great love of animals, always having cats and dogs as a part of her family.

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In 2009 Shirley became a grandmother and her life changed forever. Calla could not say grandmother and Shirley became lovingly known as “Vada.” Anniston and Adley were born in 2012 and Vada then had her crew of girls to love. Shirley saw the girls almost every day of their life, would help care for them in the night when they were small, take them to school in the mornings, hide treats in their lunch kits, make panzarotti and goodies for them regularly, run to them if they were ill and took the time to cuddle and listen to how their days were. She will forever be their guardian angels.

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In keeping with Shirley's wishes, cremation has taken place. A private celebration of her life will be held when it is possible to gather. In the meantime, Shirley’s family kindly requests that her friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour her memory by watching the photo-biography above. Please, also consider sharing your own photos and/or sharing your own memories and stories using the comment section on this page.

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In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to her granddaughter’s Kindness Project: 

kindnessprojectwpg@gmail.com

or @kindnessprojectwpg on Instagram to continue to spread kindness in her honor.

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

530 St. Mary Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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