It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved staff member Walter Cristofoli, with whom the membership and staff of the union shared countless memories throughout the years he has been involved.
Walter passed away suddenly on Thursday, December 5th of natural causes while working to mobilize his fellow Sessional Faculty members for their strike vote. Members of the executive were with Walter in his final moments and were reassured by doctors that he did not suffer.
Walter is survived by his brother Elliott and his two dogs: Miru and Frank.
Walter dedicated countless hours to building our union’s strength and engaging with members in one-on-one conversations as part of his work. If you have worked as a Sessional, there is a good chance that you have had a conversation or two with Walter over the phone and that his characteristic humour and warming presence brightened your day a little bit. We will certainly miss the way his calm demeanor and quick wit got us through countless days in the office.
If you have any memories with Walter, we encourage you to reflect on them fondly and take some time to appreciate how he affected you personally.
Plans are underway for a small celebration of life dedicated to Walter’s memory on campus, more details will follow as things are flushed out. In the meantime, memorial visitation will be held on Friday December 20, 2024 at Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Road West Oakville, (one block East of Kerr Street) from 1pm – 4 pm.
https://www.koprivataylorcommunityfuneralhome.com/obituary/walter-cristofoli
Please take care of yourselves,
CUPE 3906 Staff and Executive
