Pierina Carrer

            Pierina Carrer was born in 1938 in Venegazzu, Veneto, Italy. She had seven siblings. Pierina was named after the older brother she never met, who was not yet two years old when he passed away from pneumonia days after Pierina’s birth. She left school after a certain time, like all her siblings, to go to work and support the family. Growing up, Pierina loved the beautiful mountains and forests she lived near. She was a confident person who questioned the status quo, such as why the local priest insisted women wear long sleeves to church even on the hottest of days. When she was 16 years old, tragedy struck and Pierina lost her father to a severe head injury sustained from a motor vehicle accident. Because her father died, Pierina had to give most of what she earned to help the family.

            Two years later, her best friend wanted to set Pierina up with her brother. At a dance, Pierina was instantly attracted to Rino, who was friends with her best friend’s brother. While Rino’s family embraced her and welcomed her, Pierina’s mother was reluctant at first to accept Rino because she knew he was working in Canada. They were married in Venegazzu soon after, and honeymooned at lake Garda. Then, while Rino returned to work in Canada, Pierina lived with his family for six months until she joined him. Pierina emigrated by ship, and went through New York City in October of 1957. From New York City, she took a train to Toronto and met Rino and a couple of his friends. Shortly after arriving in Canada, Pierina (now nineteen) went looking for work despite knowing no English. She got a job working as a seamstress in a factory, and began developing a social circle through church and work. Pierina wanted to bring her mother to Canada to live with herself and her husband, but fate had other plans. Her mother died five months after Pierina arrived in Canada in another motor-vehicle related accident.

            The next year, in May 1959 she had her first born, Ornella. In 1962, she had her second child, Vania. In the early 1960’s, after her second daughter was born, Pierina and Rino helped one of Pierina’s brothers immigrate to Canada. He lived with them for a while and later they brought her youngest brother over as well. In 1967, the couple went back to Italy to decide whether to stay in Canada or return home permanently. They ultimately decided to remain in Canada. In 1974, Pierina had her third child, Melissa. Except for the year she took off of work to have Melissa, Pierina constantly worked. She became fully bilingual and ended up speaking more English to her children as they grew older. In the 1990s, Pierina travelled back to Italy on her own to attend the wedding of a relative and visit her older brother who was dying of cancer. She retired at the age of 60 and continued to be very involved with her grandchildren.
            Unfortunately, Pierina was widowed at 64, when her husband died of a massive heart attack. Pierina herself passed away at 72 from cancer and several health complications. When she was alive, Pierina sustained her culture in Canada by cooking northern Italian meals and taking pride in her home. She was also unique because, unlike many of her cohorts, she continued working after having children, and both her and Rino took pride in being a double-income household. Although she had lived a life full of tragedies, Pierina was known for her sense of humour, a trait that she passed down to her children to help get them through difficult times and see the brighter side of life.