Immigrant bricklayer who built huge London construction firm dies at 88

London has lost a giant in construction and a passionate community advocate.

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Silvestro Palumbo, who founded three construction and home building businesses in the city, helped establish a private golf course and served as a pioneer in affordable housing, has died. He was 88.

Palumbo began working as a bricklayer in the 1960s and from that built S. Palumbo Construction, Palumbo Homes and Palumbo Developments.

“That’s his legacy, from a bricklayer to building subdivisions,” said his son Marco Palumbo, who is now president of Palumbo Homes. “He was very passionate about his work, a stickler for quality and always particular about bricklaying.

“I remember once he wasn’t happy with brick work on a home and had it torn down and redone. There are a few stories like that.”

He estimates his father built more than 800 homes during his career.

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Palumbo died July 12 in the critical care trauma center at London Health Sciences Centre’s Victoria Hospital after suffering a heart attack, his son said.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Tina, and their three children and their spouses, Lorenzo (Maria) Palumbo, Rita (Enrico) Sgromo and Marco (Rosa) Palumbo. He has six grandchildren.

Palumbo immigrated from San Bartolomeo in Galdo, Italy, to Kingston when he was 19. He became a master bricklayer. He returned to Italy where he met and married Tina in 1961. They relocated to London.

His construction legacy includes transitioning from bricklaying to building homes and subdivisions in the 1970s and condominiums in the 1980s throughout much of Southwestern Ontario.

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“Sil was a devoted family man, a pillar to the London community. He was an honored and respected member of the Italian community,” said Vito Frijia, chief executive of Southside Group.

Frijia built the Italian community affordable housing projects Palumbo pioneered.

“It’s an amazing story from where they started to what it is today, an incredibly successful home building company,” said Jared Zaifman, chief executive of the London Home Builders’ Association. “It’s amazing to see what the Palumbos have done. They have done so much.”

More than 600 people filled Donohue Funeral Home for visitation this week, to pay respects.

Silvestro Palumbo also was passionate about his community. He is one of the founders of Residenza affordable housing, formerly the Italian seniors’ project. The charitable non-profit helped build affordable homes for Italian seniors including Residenza Italia and Residenza Ortona on Hamilton Road. The charity is about building Residenza Victoria in the SoHo community.

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“He gave to a lot of charities,” but he cared deeply about providing affordable housing for his community, his son said.

Palumbo also was one of the founders of West Haven Golf and Country Club in the 1980s. It was a sport he loved to play, his son said. “It’s the thing he loves most other than work. He was an avid golfer.”

He was proud that Patty Howard was the club’s first golf pro, the first woman to become head pro at a course in Canada. He also loved golf getaways with friends and other interests included traveling, race cars, boxing and playing cards as well as dancing at events at the Marconi Club, his obituary states.

He enjoyed homemade wine and wintering for 15 years before the COVID-19 pandemic in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, with his wife, the obituary also notes.

“He loved satisfying his clients by customizing their homes,” his obituary states. “Recently, he told his family that, for him, nothing was sweeter than the smell of mortar and the feel of a brick in his hands.”

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