Gina, Maria & Luigi and families,

It is with deep sorrow that we learn of John’s passing. May his love and memories comfort you in these difficult times. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

Luigi, Cathy and Gianni Mangone

I would like to express my heartfelt sadness to hear of the passing of Mr. Vigna. I was so fortunate to have Mr. Vigna as my teacher for grade ten and twelve social studies at St. Mary’s. He became like a father figure to me. He put everything into his teaching and his enthusiasm was both inspiring and unforgetable.

I really got a great laugh out of his stories as a garbage man….he was salt of the earth and could not have been a nicer guy. We were once given a group assignment to have a Canadian regional debate. My group was assigned Quebec- so I carried on debating in my whiniest french-canadian accent…Mr. Vigna sat in the back of the room stiffling snorts of laughter. He had a brilliant sense of humour!

I am currently living in Ireland and my parents emailed me his obituary as they always knew what he meant to me as a teacher. I would have loved to have been in Calgary to pay my respects, but offer you my thoughts and prayers. THANK YOU for sharing your wonderful husband and father!

God bless your family.

Katie McAllister

My condolences to the Vigna family. Mr. Vigna was my teacher many many years ago – he was a good man and will always be remembered.

My prayers are with you.

Gina, Carina, & Marissa – I was one of those lucky students Mr. Vigna taught at St. Helena’s back in the early 80’s. He was a dedicated teacher…encouraging us to enjoy learning. He had a great social presence and that helped him forge bonds with students and teachers alike. He will always be fondly remembered by everyone who knew him. I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts. ~ Fena Maucieri

I want to express my sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Vigna. I was one of many students who benefited from being in Mr. Vigna’s history class at St. Mary’s (class of 1998). He was an enthusiastic and passionate teacher who made history relevant and meaningful to his students. He was a gifted teacher and he will be dearly missed.

Dear Gina and family, my sincere condolences. I worked with John and had a great regard for him. So also did my children who were taught by John at ST. Mary’s High School. John was a wonderful, kind, engaging human being. He will be sadly missed by all.

Our thoughts are with you.

John and Anita Cleary

My condolences to the family and friends of a great person who has helped influence many lives.

Thoughts and prayers

Dear Gina and girls

John and I met as baby teachers at St. Helena’s and again as older, maybe wiser teachers, at Saint Mary’s. I have fond memories of both times in our lives. It saddens me that he has left this world far too soon. I offer my thoughts and my prayers as you go through these difficult times.

To the family of the greatest teacher ever.

I truly am sorry about the loss to your family. Mr. Vigna was by far the most entertaining, capturing, knowledgeable teacher I ever had. His passion for life, not just teaching is what made him such a wonderful and inspiring person. I first had him in grade 10 2000, and requested him for the next 2 years of high school. Social studies was by far the highest grade I had in high school because he made it fun to learn. John will be deeply missed, but will live on in all of his students hearts.

My Love,

Jess

Gina and girls,

I am thinking about you at this very difficult time in your life. Your strenght is amazing. Love and prayers,

Shannon

To the Vigna family,

Although I met John only a few times, I have fond memories of his cheerful and friendly attitude. I know he was well loved by many, just as he loved each of you. Please accept my deepest condolences and know that my prayers and thoughts are with you. May the countless memories of happy times with him never fade away.

Gina & Family,

I am so very sorry for your great loss.

It is a very difficult time for all of you, but try to think of all the wonderful times you’ve shared together & keep those memories close to your heart.

My thoughts & prayers are with you & your family.

Lora Greco

Mr. Vigna, you were a great teacher, and I was lucky enough to be your student for a semester. You and your entire family will be in our prayers.

To the Vigna Family,

I was very sad to hear of John’s passing. I remember the days that we worked together at St. Hubert School. My condolences to you and your family. Hold on to the wonderful memories that you created together.

Take care

Pina and Frank Bellotto

To Mr. Vigna’s wife, daughters, and family,

I wanted to offer my most sincere condolences for the loss of your husband, father, and all round wonderful man.

Mr. Vigna was my high school history teacher more than 10 years ago at St. Mary’s high school.

I remember Mr. Vigna very well as a funny, upbeat, happy guy who made history interesting, fun, interactive, and enjoyable. It was large in part to his grade 11 history class that I decided to Major in History in University. Mr. Vigna made history captivating, fun, interactive, and turned it around from a boring topic, to fun story time.

I wanted to let your family know that there were hundreds of students that Mr. Vigna inspired, made laugh, and made school fun for, and I know he will be sorely missed by each and every one of them. Although it has been years since those classroom history lectures, Mr. Vigna was one of my most fondly remembered teachers ever, as I’m sure he was for many others.

Rest in peace Mr. V.

Jessica

Dear Gina, Carina and Marissa,

When Stephanie came home from school with this very sad news our hearts ached for your loss. Although we had only met John a couple of times, he exuded kindness and a gentle manner. Please know that we are thinking of you and keeping you and John in our prayers.

God Bless,

Ann, Ron, Stephanie & Paul

Gina,Carina and Marisa,

I am so sorry for your loss. You have been in my thoughts and prayers.

I was only taught by Mr.Vigna for a couple of day, but from those couple days I realized how wonderful he was. He made our classroom feel so vibrant and his passion for teaching will be missed. My condolences go to his family and children. God bless you.

Surely, this comes as such a shock to all whose lives have been touched by him. He will never be forgotten. He was always the most gracious and giving teacher.

You will be in my thoughts and prayers…

Dear Gina, Carina, Marisa and Family,

We feel so fortunate to have come to know you and John through the wonderful years of watching Marisa and Olivia play soccer and attend high school together. We will always remember the fun and laughter we shared on the sidelines. Nothing could warm us better on a chilly game day than to see John’s smile and share in his great sense of humor. We will miss him and always remember him fondly. We are terribly saddened by your loss. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Love,

Aldo, Linda, Olivia, Sofia and Thea Laratta

I was told by Carina’s classmates at University of Calgary that her dad passed away. I have been Carina’s teacher of Italian last semester and enjoyed her beautiful Italian, her cheerfulness and her smile.

I would like to express my condolences to Carina and her family for this loss. Best regards, Francesca Cadel

Mr. Vigna was one of my favorite teachers all through high school. His sense of humor, enthusiasm, and dedication to his profession was remarkable. I know that many students always looked forward to his classes and even though its been almost a decade since I sat in one of them I still remember them with fond memories.

My deepest condolences to his family, Mr. Vigna left a positive mark on so many people’s lives. He will be missed.

I was deeply saddened to learn of Mr.Vignas’ death. I didnt have the fortune of being in his social studies class at St Helenas but I got to know him through my Dad, George Zeigner, who taught at Helenas at the same time. Being Mr.Zeigner’s daughter gave Mr. Vigna full license to tease me goodnaturedly any chance he got…I often wondered if he was tag teaming with my Dad. Being in junior high, I was of course mortified each and every time but I now look back on those times very fondly.

He was such a great man and reminded me a lot of my Dad. My heart breaks for all of you, particularly Mr Vigna’s daughters. Having such a great man as your father is something I can relate to and that is why I feel the deepest pain for you two. I dont have any words of wisdom that will ease your suffering although I wish I did. However when you lose a great force in your life, someone who you look up to, someone you love and who has helped you so much in life, no words will ever ease the pain of losing that person.

Take care of each other and remember how much your Dad must have loved you and how proud he was of you. Knowing what kind of man he was back then I have no doubt he was so proud of you two that he could burst just at the mere mention of your names.

You will be greatly missed but never forgotten. You have left this material world to live in the spiritual world of eternal life with our Father up in heaven.

My prayers and condolences go out to you all, and I offer you all the strength in the world during this time.

God Bless!

Vigna family,

My deepest condolences. John was one of my favourite teachers from St. Mary’s, I will always remember his class fondly, he was an inspiration.

To the Vigna Family,

Gina, our thoughts and prayers are with you all. Peace, comes with love, memories and prayer.

Dina, Vito, Adam and Anthony Mancini

Gina & Family,

Please accept our sincerest condolences as you suffer the loss of your precious Husband and Father. I had the pleasure of knowing John throughout my years as a Trustee and I know that the loss of such a great Teacher and mentor will be felt by the many lives he touched as his students and his colleagues across the District. Our prayers are with you all. May his memory fill the treasure chest of your hearts.

Sincerely, Philip & Linda Blasetti

Gina & Family,

Please accept my heartfelt condolences in the loss of the very best of teachers.I had the pleasure of working with John at St Mary’s. He was always respected by his peers and students. I really enjoyed his classes in the library and also learned from his teachings.May you rest in peace John.

Sharon Fraser librarian, St Mary’s

Dear Gina, Carina and Marissa,

I was so sorry to read about the passing of John. What a wonderful man he was, and what a lovely family he leaves to mourn. I am thinking about you all, and also of Rita and her boys, and Luca and Maria. Even though is has been so long since I have seen you all, I feel deeply for all of you and for all that you must have been through in the past months. You are a very special family, and John was blessed to have you, as you were blessed to have him for the time that you did.

Sincerely,

Deb Putnam

Gina and Girls:

I have fond memories of John and always enjoyed my visits to your home when I was with Investors Group. I was saddened to learn of John’s untimely passing and my convey my heartfelt sympathies to you and all of your family.

Warmest Regards,

Mark Ketler

To The Vigna Family

I am so sorry for your loss, my thoughts and condolences go out to you. Mr. Vigna was my TA teacher for three years and I was very lucky to enjoy his company for that long. He was a very humourous, easy going guy. I only have such positive memories of him.

My thoughts go out to you all in this time!

May you rest in peace Mr. Vigna

Gina& famiglia

sentite condolence nella perdita di John

preghiamo il nostro Signore che risplende A lui laluce perfetta della

vita eterna

Giuseppe & catherina Mancuso

I went to St. Mary’s High School where Mr. Vigna taught. He was never MY history teacher, but he would always come in and visit Mr. Sciore’s class when were there. I remember his smile, his positive attitude and his zest for life. My day was always brighter just having heard the sound of his laugh. God bless and keep him.

My condolences, John is who made me want to go back to university and study Political Sciences and History. His Social 30 class was fascinating and because of his enthusiasm, it got me hooked. I can thank John for the motivation to pursue a better future for myself.

Gina,

I was so sorry to read of John’s death. Our family is struggling right now, too–my sister, Carol, died on Thanksgiving. I know that both you and I will cherish the wonderful memories we have.

Sharon

To the Vigna family et al

May God give you comfort at this difficult time

May memories help you cope

Sinceres condolences

Dear Gina, Carina and Marisa: Our thoughts and prayers are with you now and for a long time to come. We have been praying for John and you, his family, for a long time already.

John fought a long battle and so have you. Your battle unfortunately is not over. John is in a great place now, and that is solace… but now the loneliness will be overwhelming, we have no idea how hard this will be for you.

We are sorry we have to be out of town this weekend, otherwise you know we would be there for you. We will definitely be there in spirit.

Gina, if you need a place to hide at school, I have the perfect place. Please feel free to come and hide anytime! My shoulder is also always available!

We love you! Annette and Lionel

Dear Gina, Carina and Marissa

I am so sorry to hear of the passing of John. Please know that I will be praying for you and your family at this most difficult time. I know that there is a great big hole in your heart right now. I just hope that all of the wonderful memories that you have of your time together will help to fill it back up.

The L’Henaff family

Know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and you may remember that my dear wife Pat took teatment the same time as John in the winter of 09. She passed sept 29th of 09.

May John rest in peace and may you Gieve and mourn with many to be with you.——– Bob O’Hara

My dear Gina,

My heart aches for your loss.I pray that God will give you and your family the strength and the courage to help you during this difficult time.

God has a plan for each of us when we are born. John has been called home to the Father.

My deepest condolences.

Paola Nardini

Dear Gina and family,

I am so saddened to hear of the passing of John. We started teaching together at St. Rose in 1976. We had great fun as newbies and he teased me alot. He always had a smile, a postive attitude, and love of what he was doing. John will be missed. God bless you. John will be remembered in my prayers.

Liz Hill

To the family of John Vigna

My condolences. I consider it an honor to have known John. All of you are in my prayers. God Bless.

Jerry O’Brien

It is with the deepest sorry that I hear of the passing of my friend John Vigna. While we saw each other only a handful of times after high school, it was always a great pleasure to run into John. Never without a warm smile on his face, I can honestly say that John was one of the the kindest souls I have ever met. He will be dearly missed.

Gina, Carina and Marisa….my thoughts are with you. I worked with John at Notre Dame a few years ago. He was always upbeat and passing through the office with his positive attitude and big smile made our day. He will be dearly missed.

Gina, Marisa and Carina: We are so sorry over the loss of Dad and can only offer up our prayers as support in such a time of hardship and sadness for you all. We think of you often and wish there was more we could do.

Ingrid and Emily

To the entire Vigna family, my deepest sympathies. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Gina and Family

I am so sorry to hear of your husband’s death. We met at Marisa’s award dinner last week. I was seated beside you. You had told me that he was ill, but I did not realize how soon you would lose him. My heart goes out to you and your daughters. You are in my prayers. Rest assured that your husband will watch over you all from heaven.

Jeanne Lefebvre

We wish to extend our deepest sympathy to Gina and her girls. To Rita, Maria and Luca for the loss of their husband, father, brother in law and son in law.

To the family of John Vigna,

I too consider it an honour to have known and been taught by Mr. Vigna.

He was nothing less than inspiring as a teacher, and I will have him to thank when I graduate university this spring.

My most sincere condolences,

Kevin Bruch

Gina, Carina and Marisa

Words cannot express how sorry we are for the loss of your beloved husband and father. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during your time of sorrow.

Angela, Frank, John Paul and Carina

Gina, I am heartbroken for you and your daughters. John was a wonderful husband and father and I hope your memories of him will give you strength at this difficult time.

To the family with prayers. Mr. J. Vigna and I worked together at St. Mary’s. I respected him for his honest polictical opinion and to stand up for teachers perspectives. A geniune person of heart and so sorry for your loss. with blessings and that he no longer has pain. warm regards, Juliana Miller-MacPherson, teacher of Art IB

To the Vigna Family,

My heartfelt condolences. Mr. Vigna was my social teacher at St. Helena’s and I remember him with fondness and respect. He was truly an amazing teacher and I was very fortunate to have him teach me. He will be truly missed by all. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Gina, Carina and Marisa

I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your husband and father. I never had the priveledge of teaching with him but having taught Carina, I know what a wonderful father he was to have raised such a wonderful girl. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Leanne Timko

Gina, Carina, and Marisa

Mary (Luigi and Family)

Frank (Gina and Family)

Uncle Luigi

John and I grew up together not only as cousins, but neighbors, friends and collegues. We spent time and shared many great times with a close group of friends. As we got older we learned to cherish those momements. We laughed together, shared many meals, and drove many miles. Our time together was great. All of you know that John was a special person. He will be missed not only by you his immediate family but also by all of those whom he touched.

We were all extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to have had him in our lives.

To Gina, Carina, and Marisa, Uncle Luigi, Mary and Frank. A husband, a father, a son and a brother. Our deepest condolences to each of you. May the memmories of his kindness, sense of humour, his spirit, his smile and his laughter help ease the sadness and grief during this time.

Gina,

We were very sad to hear of your husbands passing & for all the pain you & your daughters are going through.

You are in our prayers.

Gianni, Linda, Dante & Gemma De Marchi

I first met John marking diploma exams in Edmonton. He was a teacher that always conducted himself with utmost generosity of spirit. He was always kind and considerate to new teachers as well as “old”. I will miss him.

Dear Gina and girls,

Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time. God takes our loved ones from our lives but never from our hearts!

Deepest sympathy

Lorraine ,John, Luke and Carrie-Anne Prudence

Dear Gina, Carina and Marisa.

Our most heartfelt condolences to each of you. So sorry to hear of your tremendous loss. John was one of the most amazing, kind, and generous people we have ever met. He will be missed dearly. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

Love, Dan, Carol, Olivia and Cameron

I am sorry for your loss. I am keeping you all in my prayers. I have fond memories of social class with John at St. Helena’s in the mid 80’s. He was a great teacher. You have raised wonderful daughters whom I have had the pleasure of teaching. May you feel the love and support of friends and family as you reflect on his great life.

John Vigna was the sort of teacher who comes along very rarely, the sort of teacher who leaves an indelible impression on all of his students. His passion, wit, and presence were huge inspirations to me and countless others. He’ll be sorely missed.

Mr. Vigna was one of my social teachers in high school, and a big reason why I got into politics. He cultivated a deep respect for history, and motivated me to become involved in political campaigns, parties and boards. Now, I’m a staffer in the Alberta Legislature. I am grateful to have known him, to have learned from him and to count him as one of the key influences in my life.

To the family of Mr. Vigna,

My deepest condolences in this time of grieving. I hope you will be able to take heart in knowing that Mr. Vigna is fondly remembered by countless students. I know I for one was better for having him taught me. He could inspire passion in even the most apathetic of students. He will be sorely missed.

Mr. Vigna can be credited with my pursuit of history.

I was in his IB Social class about five years ago and it was always alive with discussion that brought life to the subject.

I remember passing Mr. Vigna in the hall one day and him stopping to tell me our exams has been marked. When I asked him if I should continue taking Social IB next term, he replied very matter-of-factly “Yes Mariann, of course you should”

It always meant alot to me, and I’ll always remember it.

When John arrived at Notre Dame he took the desk beside mine in the social office and we shared the same prep times. It didn’t take us long to get to know each other and for me to develop an immediate respect and repore with him. We shared photos of our children almost immediately, and I realized our mutual priority was family.

Your dad was just such an easy person to like – he told it like it was, demanded the best from his students and never gave them less of himself. He was a master teacher! He took pride in his work and accomplishments which were many. He kept that long service clock they gave him on his desk, even when it stopped working. When he came in June to visit us, he packed it up to go home with him.

Socially he would light up the room with his smile and a laugh, and always showed an interest in who we were as people – not just colleagues. We sure felt a void when he left our school to begin his battle with cancer. We adored your dad and he made our community a better place to be.

Girls, you should know that John talked of you at work often, always with an ear to ear grin and such pride. He thought the two of you hung the moon! You were never far from his thoughts, no matter where he was and what was going on, as I know you will always remain.

Thank you for sharing your father with us.

MR .Vigna you will be missed all over may you rest in peace and God bless you . You were by far the best teacher i ever had and will miss you R.I.P

My condolences go out to his family and every one who had the oppertunity and the privalege of meeting him. He was my social teacher, and in all my twelve years of going to school social was my worst subject until he came along. He was truly a great spirit and a genuine good person, and just lit up the room with your great attitude, you also tough my little brother and he thought the same thing with you,ill never forget that poster you had in class with all the stupid things George Bush said! your the best rest in peace , you will be missed

Gina, Carina and Marissa,

Words can not express how sad we feel for your family. John will be missed by so many.

It is so true that his smile and ability to talk to anyone at anytime made him special.

As a teacher he was amazing and so passionate in the work he did for so many years. He was dedicated to his work but never lost focus of the most important things in his life, his family.

Gina you are a remarkable lady,and I pray for you and the girls.Your faith, love and kindness are traits all notice and admire of your family.

Our prayers and thoughts are with you in this very very sad time.

Melina, Guy and Silena

The Vigna family…

My deepest sympathies for your loss. It was a honor to both be taught by Mr. Vigna and later on in life call him my colleague. I will continue to keep your family in our prayers.

God Bless,

Frank Durante and Family

Mr. Vigna was an amazing teacher. When I look back at my high school days at St. Mary’s I immediately think of him. He taught me social two years in a row and his class was the one that I enjoyed the most. I loved listening to his stories. He had a way of teaching without feeling like you had just been taught. His love of teaching definitely impacted my life and inspired me to become a teacher. Mr. Vigna will be missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you during this difficult time.

May God’s strength be with in your days ahead.

Dear Gina,Carina and Marisa,

I am greatly saddened and moved with the loss of your beloved husband and father.Please accept my sincere symphaty.

Liliana Becar

I taught with Gina at St. Hubert school and would just like to pass on my condolences. I am so sorry you have lost your husband, Gina. I hope your many happy memories will help carry you through your grief.

Lori

Gina, my heart goes out to you and your family. I will pray hard for you. You are in my thoughts…

Jacqueline De Giusti

Gina, Carina, and Marisa,

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this most difficult of times.

God Bless,

John McFarland

We think of you all during this difficult time and offer prayers for strength