Gino Valli

It is with great sadness we share that "Gino", Pierluigi, Paola, Italico, Gabriele Valli passed away on March 17, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 74. Gino was born at his grandmother's home in Lovere, Italy on March 4, 1949 to the late Isacco and Bartolomea Valli. In addition to his parents, Gino is preceded in death by his aunt, Caterina Valli. Gino the husband of Florence for 52 years were married August 19th 1970. He is Gone but will remain in all of our hearts. He is loved by everyone who knew him. Gino never knew a stranger. All of his friends came in every age, shape, color, gay, straight, male, female, religion. All that mattered was that they were kind and forgiving, but most of all interesting. For anyone who was fortunate enough to get to know him, found a reward of unwavering friendship for life. He was always willing to help anyone that he thought could use his input. And while he loved to reminisce and tell stories, he, unlike most of us really, truly listened; a lost art these days. Gino strongly felt the need to put each of us at ease and make us feel comfortable. He wanted each individual to know that they were unique special and to feel their worth. Family especially was very important to him. He was the uniter that never went against anyone, but just listened and supported. All of his nieces and nephews loved him dearly, and he made sure that they knew they were fine just the way they are and that they learn what true unconditional love was all about. Even his coworkers at company get together's. Would tell his wife how valued he was to each of them and the companies that he worked for. He never missed a deadline. He always made sure they were done. He was the calm in the storm. When he was a professor, while he was strict, he was fair to all of his students and they all adored him. Sadly, Florence and Gino never got to become parents but became parents to all of their fur babies. Dallas, Ollie, Nina, Max, Missy, Tuffy, Ginger, and Jake were joy in their lives. He was crazy in love with each of them even though Tuffy, their cat nipped at him a few times if Gino tried to get him off his lap and yes, they referred to themselves as mommy and daddy. He was passionate about everything he did, and interested in learning anything new. From stand-up comedy to fencing. He loved reading more than anything to pass the time. He was a true renaissance man. He could draw and paint, build new or remodel a house, play guitar and repair cars. He enjoyed making beer and wine where he won several medals and competitions. He sure did make a killer meatloaf, and an apple pie that everyone loved. He loved to fish but never hunted. He also loved camping and canoeing. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to go sailing like he always wanted to. He enjoyed running cross country in high school, playing tennis and playing squash with friends. He went bicycle camping and was quite proud that he received a second-degree brown belt in karate. He also was the only person that could beat Ken Jennings to the buzzer on every question, even if it was only in his living room. For years every family member tried to get him to go on Jeopardy. Gino was never afraid to get his hands dirty. He worked in a foundry, was a plumber, crawled with the spiders in tight crawlspaces and dug ditches. But he put his foot down when Florence's dad asked him to put on waiters and clean out the septic system. Early in his life, he was a Boy Scout. He soon after decided he wanted to become a priest. His father thought sending him to Italy for the summer after high school might help him with that decision. Florence is eternally grateful for that. He started working in the family construction business during vacations and summers from the time he was fourteen years old. He then went off to college at Cornell University where he majored in chemical engineering and soon switched to literature. He earned his masters degree from SUNY Oswego, and finally received his doctorate from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. There he taught for a while before going into advertising. Finally ended up writing for GSW, where he eventually retired from. He loved skiing as often as he could with his father in the French, Swiss, and Italian alps, but his favorite traveling companion was his wife, Florence. They did an art and architecture trip, traveling mostly in the cooler months in Europe, along with visiting friends and relatives. They also loved the mai tai trips to beaches in Hawaii and the Caribbean during the coldest months of the year. Now he is enjoying a drink and watching over all of us until we join him again one day. There is comfort, knowing he is with his fur babies and past relatives again. Until we meet again be kind and love one another as Gino did.