Lanfranco Amato has passed away

He was very well known in Toronto, especially for his work at the helm of Olivetti Canada

Lanfranco Amato of Campolevrini, born in 1922, passed away serenely at his home in Toronto on February 14th. He completed his autobiography just over a year ago as a legacy for his son and grandchildren.
The book, published in November 2003, bears the title Experiences, Memories and Reflections on My Life. Amato was very well known in Toronto, especially for his work at the helm of Olivetti Canada.
Amato's wife, Liliana, wrote to us. Her words profoundly echo the extent of the family's sense of loss: "Lanfranco leaves his wife Liliana, who shared over 50 years of his life; his beloved son Sergio, who weeps for his father along with his wife Lucy (Lake Forest, Illinois) and their three children - Lilly, James and Finley - who adored him and cannot resign themselves to the idea that they won't get any more hugs, kisses and caresses from their wonderful grandfather, who was so affectionate and so proud of them.
"Lanfranco also leaves his sisters, Laura and Maria Teresa, along with their respective families; his sister-in-law Maria Cristina, brother-in-law Renato and sister-in-law Donatella and their families.
"Lanfranco was generous, optimistic, noble and sensitive. He deeply loved his family and was moved by the numerous friends who appreciated and admired him and showed him affection and esteem at every opportunity. As a father he taught Sergio everything that was important in life. He was a constant example of righteousness-a quality very hard, if not outright impossible-to find today, let alone emulate. Lanfranco leaves a gap in our hearts that will never be filled, and his memory will be with us forever."
"The last farewell to Lanfranco Amato took place on February 17th at 9:30 a.m. at Holy Rosary Church, 354 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto. Amato was entombed in Lake Forest, Illinois.
"The family would appreciate donations to the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care, 600 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X5."
In his autobiography, Amato wrote, "Because of my work as an industrial manager, my involvement in a national and international social life, as well as my participation in artistic, cultural and community activities, I was invested with several chivalric ranks, decorations, diplomas and declarations of merit. I am, of course ,immensely grateful to the different promoters and organizers for all of this, not so much for the 'cuteness' of the titles, but for the high honour that they bestowed upon me.
In chronological order, I count: Sovereign Military Hospitaller, Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta-the most ancient among knightly orders. The order was established in the 11th century on the occasion of the first crusade to the Holy Land. Admitted as a Knight of Magistral Grace, within a decade I progressed very rapidly through the ranks due to my active work in several projects of the Canadian Association, first of all, at the Good Shepherd Manor, which helps mentally handicapped kids, and due to my sitting on Canada's steering council as vice-president in charge of the activities of knights and dames of the Order in the Province of Ontario. I rose to Grand Cross of Magistral Grace, then Knight of Grace and Devotion, Grand Cross of Grace and Devotion and, finally, to Knight of Obedience. When I reached this final rank, if I had made myself available to the Order of Malta's central government, located in Rome on via Condotti, I could have obtained a ministerial post.
"Last but not least, thanks to direct intervention by Grand Master Fra' Angelo di Majana, I obtained the Barony of Campolevrini and the title of Grand Officer of the Order of Saint Agatha from the Republic of Saint Marino.
Another knighthood I received in Toronto was that of the Military Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, where I was admitted as Knight Commander. After a while I was also admitted as Knight of Grand Cross in the Sovereign Military Teutonic Order of the Levant. Another honour that made me proud with its intrinsic prestige was admission to the Order of Canada. My admission to the Order took place in Ottawa, in the presence of the Governor General of Canada, officiating on behalf of Queen Elizabeth. King Umberto II, from Cascais, appointed me Knight of the Crown of Italy. Mr. Ernst August Fürstzuer Lippe appointed me Holder of the Princely Family Order of Lippe. I was admitted to the Ancient Scientific and Literary Academy of the Incamminati as meritorious member, and the same went for my admission to the Tiberine Academy (an institution of higher education for the advancement of arts, letters, and sciences). I also became a Fellow of London's Royal Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Due to the intervention of two Italian ambassadors to Canada, I first received the rank of Commander and then, a few years later, the rank of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy. At the Capitol, in Rome, I was presented with the Golden Mercury National Award, a prize given to those involved with economic development and co-operation in recognition of the merits I acquired in my capacity as president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Toronto. I was also admitted to the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, with a ceremony that took place at their headquarters at the Clos de Voujeot castle in Burgundy. At the same chapter meeting, other people were also admitted, including Germany's Foreign Minister Willy Brandt, France's Foreign Minister Couve de Merville and the U.S. Ambassador to France, James Roosevelt. The evening ceremony and dinner were incredibly well organized, full of warmth and significance, music and song, royal food with wines worthy of the Arabian Nights and a large collection of distinguished guests (400 people from all over the world).
"I was also admitted to the Order of the Noble Companions of the Swan with the rank of commander, to the Knightly Association of St. George the Martyr as a member, and to the ancient Irish order Niadh Nask as a member.
"As a member of the Order of Canada I was appointed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to chair ceremonies for the granting of Canadian citizenship to new immigrants. My name appears in The International Who's Who of Intellectuals, published by the International Biographic Centre of Cambridge, England.
"My name also appears in the Hall of Fame of the American Biographical Institute International Directory of Distinguished Leadership."
Amato belonged to numerous corporate boards. In his autobiography he listed twelve, including Olivetti, Riello and Banca Commerciale Italiana.
The loss of Lanfranco Amato will be keenly felt not only by his family, but by everyone who knew him, not only in Canada and in Italy, but by friends, colleagues and associates all over the world..

Publication Date: 2005-02-20
Story Location: http://www.tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4943