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Obituary

Angelo Ciotola, 89, of Upper Arlington peacefully passed away surrounded by his loving family on Monday, February 3, 2020. Angelo was born January 18, 1931 in Cerreto, Italy. He was the son of the late Francesco and Concetta Ciotola. He is preceded in death by his brothers, Domenico and Benito; his brothers-in-law, Franco Policaro, Luigi Rotolo, Carlo Apollonio, and sister-in-law, Maria Apollonio. He is also pre-deceased by his mother and father-in-law, Antonio and Angela Apollonio; along with many aunts, uncles and cousins. He was recently pre-deceased by his cousin, Monsignor Romano Ciotola, and we are confident he is welcoming our Dad to Heaven. In 1963, Angelo immigrated by boat to Canada with his wife, Silvia and daughter, Tonia. Shortly after, they celebrated the birth of their son, Robert. Angelo's first priority was family and he worked hard to provide for them. Always the handyman, he began as a carpenter working on high-rise construction, including York University. Later in 1970, he and his family moved to Columbus, Ohio, where they connected with the rest of the Ciotola clan (as we all know, there's a lot of them). In 1974, Angelo started DaVinci Ristorante with his brother, Domenico. Only five short years later, he and his brothers, Bruno and Domenico opened The Monte Carlo Ristorante - which became one of the premiere Italian restaurants in Columbus. While Angelo took great pride in his restaurants, his real love was his family and friends. People would often say he never met a stranger, which was true, as he loved people and people loved him. Donning his signature hat and suspenders, Angelo was a man about town for many years, giving away bottles of homemade wine, canned red sauce, apples, tomatoes, and unfortunately for the goats, a few of those too. He, Silvia and much of the Ciotola crew spent many moons in Pompano Beach, Florida, where they made great friends and memories. Angelo even helped build a Bocci court and got many of the non-Italians addicted to the game. If he wasn't on the court, he was in the kitchen...often times any kitchen, even if it was his first time eating at a restaurant. In no time, he and the chef would be best friends-that's just who he was. Survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Silvia (Apollonio); daughter, Tonia (Wayne) Erdman, and son, Robert (Amy VanDyke). Angelo is also survived by his loving grandchildren, David (Colleen), Daniel (Aly), Andrew (Kim) Erdman, Clay, Jake (his roommate), and Savannah Ciotola. He was blessed with seven great-grandchildren, Ella, Addy, Henry, Cameron, Jack, Danny, and Beau. He leaves behind his great friend and brother, Bruno (Evelina), and his adoring sisters, Dina (Joe) Milano and Joanna Policaro. He is survived by his sisters-in-law, Italia Ciotola, Maria Ciotola, Mafalda Rotolo, and his brother and sister-in-law, Odo and Concetta Rotolo. Angelo is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends in the United States, Italy, and Canada. Life is a journey and Angelo traveled the roads very well. He leaves behind a wonderful legacy of hard work, family, and love. May his final journey be filled with peace and love and may the angels lead him to Christ. Rest in Peace Nonno. We love you. The family would like to thank the staff of The Forum at Knightsbridge, Dr. Matthew Skomorowski and Wesley Hospice, all of whom we thank dearly for their care, compassion and support. His family will receive friends on Thursday, February 6, 2020, from 3-8 p.m., at the JOHN QUINT TREBONI FUNERAL HOME, 1177 West Fifth Avenue, Columbus. His funeral Mass is 10:30 a.m., Friday, February 7, 2020, at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 1899 McCoy Road (at Reed), Upper Arlington, with Rev. Fr. T.J. Lehigh as Celebrant, and Rev. Msgr. Anthony Missimi, Concelebrant. Entombment, St. Joseph Cemetery, 6440 S. High Street, Lockbourne. In lieu of flowers and to continue Angelo's legacy of feeding others, please send donations to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank (https://www.midohiofoodbank.org/donate-now/), 3960 Brookham Dr., Grove City, OH (43123). Condolences may be sent via www.johnquint.com. Friends and family are asked to meet at the Church for Angelo's funeral Mass.