Rinaldo Trabacca

Rinaldo ‘Ron’ Trabacca passed away on February 25, 2015 at Rose Villa in Milwaukie, OR. He was born December 15, 1931 in Alexandria Egypt; the youngest of seven children. As Egypt moved towards independence the family packed what they could moving to Cairo via two taxis, then eventually spreading out across the globe. He worked a couple of years in Naples and Rome, then at 21 followed his sister Maria to Vancouver, Canada. Working aboard merchant ships for the Canadian Pacific Company in the engine room as a fireman and oiler, he spent three years in Alaska. Rinaldo met Margaret Gloch (deceased 2008) in Vancouver Canada marrying her on February 15, 1958. He chose to enter the trucking business enrolling in evening courses at the University of British Columbia where he received a Certificate of Achievement in Traffic Management, May ‘59. The couple moved into a new home in Glenairre, BC. Their 3 children were born nearby in New Westminster, B.C. In 1965 the family moved to Oregon purchasing a home in Milwaukie. He continued working in the trucking industry for various firms surviving through the, at times, almost constant consolidations. He started his own trucking firm, MOXIE, based in Salem. Rinaldo and the family would spend vacations tent camping and traveling to Canada to visit family. He took courses in welding, painting and pastel drawing. Home Improvements from maintenance and repairs to building and remodeling kept him busy on the weekends. His interests ranged from model railroads, metal soilders to early computers and woodworking crafts. Rinaldo and Margaret joined a local tennis club joining the United States Tennis Association. With his competitive nature he played spirited matches in both singles and mixed doubles proudly displaying his trophies. The couple enjoyed traveling including trips to Hawaii, many countries in Europe and cruises in the Caribbean including through the Panama Canal where he delighted in the technological innovations that made it possible. He was charming, friendly and liked to entertain those around him with stories. Rinaldo would visit his sister Alda and her husband Avio when they were in Montreal and Virginia City, VA, his sister Rita in England and extended family in Italy and Sicily. He bragged about his grandchildren and was proud of the accomplishments of his children though perhaps didn’t tell them that directly. He loved his sweets, a cup of tea, his fig tree and playing backgammon. He thought a good deal should not be passed up. As a book sale volunteer for the Milwaukie Library he amassed a large collection of mystery books somehow charming the ladies he worked with into proving him with free bags of books. After his wife Margaret moved into a memory care facility, Rinaldo sold the family home and moved to an apartment at Rose Villa in Milwaukie, Oregon. Having been a parishioner of Christ the King Catholic Church for almost 50 years, he then became a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. He stayed active at Rose Villa joining their Green Committee and edited their monthly newsletter. In 2011, Rinaldo moved into the health center where the staff provided kind and truly loving care. We would like to thank all the staff and volunteers who tended to Rinaldo during this time as well as the special friends he made at Rose Villa who enriched his life. He is survived by his sister Alda, (Avio) of Vancouver, Canada, his three children: Randi Thomas (David) of Gladstone, Michael of Portland, and Carla Lebentritt (Don) of New Jersey, grandchildren: Stefanie (Chad), Brian, Katie (Austin) and Christopher, and three great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Rose Villa Foundation, Milwaukie, www.rosevilla.org , or ask that you volunteer some time in your local community. Please join us for services on March 7, 2015 at 2p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church 10955 SE 25th Ave., Milwaukie, OR with a Rosary at 130 p.m. Parking is located behind the church. A reception in the parish hall adjacent to the main church building will follow the services. Please join the family at Randi and Dave Thomas’s home in Gladstone afterwards to continue sharing their memories of Rinaldo. Service Information