15 Ole King Square, Charlottetown, PEI C1A 1P8
June 29, 1937 - November 19, 2024
Service Date: Friday, December 27, 2024
Service Time: 4:00 p.m. from MacLean Funeral Home Swan Chapel
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Dr. Piero Campanaro MD - a man who lived life with unbridled enthusiasm - died on November 19th, surrounded by his loving family at the Provincial Palliative Care Centre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Piero was a man of action. Despite decades of practicing yoga and meditation, nothing frustrated him as much as being still. He was born on June 29, 1937 in Vienna, Austria to Lily (De Haas) and Amadeo Campanaro. In 87 exciting years, he lived and was at home in Austria, Slovakia, Ethiopia, Italy, Argentina, the US, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Canada - including over 20 years in Edmonton and 30 wonderful years in Charlottetown.
Piero saw Haile Selassie driven into Addis Ababa in 1941 and listened to his mother yell at Italian partisans for failing to shoot Mussolini in 1945. He knew a bit about everything, and was happy to admit when he was wrong… which he rarely was. Piero was shelled during an uprising; harvested grapes on his family’s farm; went skiing, scuba diving and sailing around the world; witnessed the evolution of modern medicine from drop ether to gene therapy; and preached that “life is too serious to be taken too seriously.”
He loved his job as an anesthesiologist and was deeply committed to his work. Piero would disagree with that statement - of course - and say that he never went to work a day in his life. He just went to the hospital every day and had fun with his friends.
Piero loved nothing more than a good story and any joke of any quality. He lightened tense moments in operating rooms around the world from his seat as ‘designated gas-passer’. His oeuvre ranged from pithy one-liners for everyday use to extended tales for the dinner table and complex operations. His songs and poetry - often composed on the spot - ranged from brainy to bawdy. He was still holding court from his hospital bed in the last days of his life.
Piero spoke seven languages fluently and swore fluently in many more. He resented pointless rules, loved music and books, and never missed a chance to break bread with his many friends. He was a bon vivant and a connoisseur of food and drink - tastes acquired in part from his father, who was a vintner and distiller. Piero’s palate and his kitchen knew no borders and all were welcome.
Piero married the two great loves of his life: Carole and Ninia. He was the best Dad to his three sons and their wives: Roberto (Elaine), Eli and Richard (Paige). He was devoted to Ninia’s children - Victor (Laura), Ninia, Erika (Andres) - and their families. He was Grampie to Roberto’s children (Emma, Sarah and Isabel) and Campy to his colleagues. He was - at various times in his life - Piero, Pinch, Pete, Peter, Dad and Papi. He loved dogs of all sizes, breeds and dispositions, and he never ever ever fed them under the table. He will be missed by family, friends, colleagues, patients and hungry dogs around the world.
A memorial service will be held for Piero on Friday, December 27 at 4:00 p.m. from MacLean Funeral Home Swan Chapel on Ole King Square in Charlottetown, PEI, Canada. For those wishing to attend virtually, the service will be live-streamed at https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony?c=e10fae59-7b00-4ffb-8be7-51f6b022b35b A reception will follow in the Morrie Room of MacLean Funeral Home. All are welcome to come, to tell outrageous stories and to enjoy each other’s company, as he would have wanted.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the QEH Foundation, the PEI Humane Society, or the Royal Canadian Legion would be welcome. Online condolences may be made at www.macleanfh.com
“Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.”
Donations may be mailed directly to:
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation
PO Box 6600
Charlottetown, PE C1A 8T5
Ph: 902-894-2425
Box 20022
Charlottetown, PE C1A 9E3
Ph: 902-892-1190
National Headquarters
86 Aird Place
Ottawa, ON K2L 0A1