The death of Aldo Braida on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022 will come as a shock to those who knew the man. His life and work intersected with many people and organizations in the community. I will remember his sharp wit, dry sense of humour and the countless stories he told that seemed to roll off his tongue.
In his 93'rd year and still leading an active lifestyle, he died suddenly after clearing snow from his driveway with a snow blower. I got to know Aldo sitting next to him playing cornet in the Acton Citizens' Band. The following is a brief biography I wrote on him for the 2022 Heritage Acton calendar.
Aldo Braida's remarkable life began in 1929 in his uncle's house on Main Street South, where his mother gave birth to him on the kitchen table. When he died on Monday, he was still living on Main Street South in his parents' ancestral home, only a few doors from where he was born.
His parents, Abele and Agnese Braida, were Italian immigrants who moved to Acton so Abele could take a job at the Beardmore Tannery where he worked until his retirement. Among Aldo's earliest memories was his father taking him to watch Casey Jones' team of Percherons scooping out the foundation for the new YMCA building at 42 Mill Street East. He must have been about 4 years old at the time. Some months later the pair returned to witness the dedication of the cornerstone for that building, where Aldo remembered the Acton Citizens' Band playing under the direction of bandmaster Amos Mason.
The Braida family had a long association with the with Acton's community band. Four of them played in the Acton Citizens' Band starting at a young age. Aldo began playing with the Boys and Girls Band in 1942 when he was twelve and continued to play cornet with the group until his passing.
Aldo's parents rented a plot of land on the other side of Main Street South where the family grew vegetables for their market gardening enterprise. The Braida children always had part-time and summer jobs to help put them through university and college. But the money from the garden and the government baby bonus checks, faithfully deposited into the children's education accounts by their mother Agnese, helped pay their university tuition. Aldo worked at the Beardmore Tannery one summer and also had a job in subsequent years washing milk cans at the Acton Creamery.
Education was a priority with the family and the five siblings were all high achievers: Lino read for an engineering degree, Raymond was a practising psychiatrist, Dena became a teacher and Mary worked as a public health nurse. Aldo himself achieved a Bachelor of Science in pre-med studies at the University of Western Ontario, before going on to study law at Osgoode Hall.
Aldo articled for Charlie Sanderson of Sanderson and Cochrane and was called to the bar in 1955. His first job was in Toronto with the prestigious law firm Strathy, Cowan & Setterington where he worked until 1957 when he returned to Acton to start his own practice.
Arriving back home, he soon rented an office on Cork Street in Guelph. He was the first Italian-speaking lawyer in Guelph and a significant amount of his clientele came from the Italian community. Aldo served as both board member and legal counsel for the Italian-Canadian Club in Guelph and helped them acquire their charter.
Aldo also had customers in Acton to whom he was equally dedicated. After working during the day in Guelph, he would with meet his Acton clients during the evening on the porch of his parents' house on Main Street South.
Aldo Braida's public service record stretches across decades. In the early 1970s, he played a major role in the building of a new facility for the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 197. He gave countless unpaid hours while working with the organizing committee. For his efforts he was made lifetime honorary member of the Legion's Dominion Command.
In the 1990s, Aldo again helped the Legion when it was involved in setting up Birchway Place, a much needed seniors' complex in Acton. In 2016 and 2017, Aldo was instrumental in helping donate $70,000 on behalf of Villa Canadese Support Services to the upgrading of St. Joseph's Hospital's palliative care facilities in Guelph.
In 2019, Aldo Braida was awarded the Law Society of Upper Canada's top honour, the Law Society Medal in a ceremony at Osgoode Hall. According to the Law Society: “Braida and has been an advocate and supporter of many projects that have benefited veterans, seniors, and palliative care patients and their families. Aldo has made significant contributions in the provision of legal and public services in Guelph and Acton.”
In 2020, Aldo sold his law practice to his nephew who is a partner in a Kitchener law firm. But until the day he died he continued to drive to Guelph every weekday where he worked as a representative for the law firm he founded. Ironically, the 92-year old intended to finally retire in 2022.
[Here is a link to our last video interview with Aldo, it took place at the George Elliott Memorial Tribute concert. The two were close friends. You can find Aldo's part at 4:48. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1357554217729098. ]
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