Former Ward 5 Coun. Arthur ‘Sonny’ Gualazzi is being remembered by family and friends as a man who possessed an unwavering commitment to both his family and his city.
Gualazzi died surrounded by family at Sault Area Hospital Dec. 8. He was 94 years old.
In all, Gualazzi logged 57 years of service to his city, with 18 years as an alderman and decades of sitting on a number of city-run boards and committees, and was still contributing to the City of Sault Ste. Marie as a member of the committee of adjustment up until his death.
“Listen, my dad was one of the best human beings I ever met — and I know I’m sort of biased because he’s my dad, but he was genuine, friendly and compassionate to everybody. Whether you were the janitor at city hall or you were the prime minister,” said his son, Brian Gualazzi, speaking with SooToday Sunday. “He treated everybody the same and had time for everybody.
“If you had to describe him, he was certainly a glass half full — always looked at the positive, always tried to help people.”
Described by his son as a “big-time athlete,” Gualazzi played major junior hockey for the Galt Hornets when there were just six teams in the Ontario Hockey Association Senior A loop.
Gualazzi was inducted into the Sault Ste. Marie Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993, joining Brian, who was inducted into the hall the year prior due to his own storied hockey career. Brian believes they’re the only father-son duo to be inducted into the Sault Ste. Marie Hockey Hall of Fame in the player category.
“There were other fathers and sons — but none of them both as players,” he said.
Even during his years involved in municipal affairs, Gualazzi went to work as a supervisor at Algoma Steel — a job he held for four decades — and still made time for his wife and children at home.
“He was a huge family man,” said Brian. “Despite all his extracurricular work, his family still came first.”
His son says Gualazzi was dealt a “huge blow” in life when his wife of 58 years, Mary, died in 2009.
“They were inseparable; they did everything together,” Brian said.
Former Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Christian Provenzano, who became friends with Gualazzi shortly after moving back to the Sault in 2002, echoed sentiments of Gualazzi’s commitment to his family and his city.
“When you spend time with Art, or you get to know Art, you know three things very clearly: one, he loved his wife very much, and she was the centre of his life, and two, he loved his children very much, and three, he loved his city — and that guy, I can tell you, lived for his wife, his children and his city,” Provenzano said.
During his eight years as mayor, Provenzano recalls Gualazzi routinely calling the mayor’s office to offer him words of encouragement and support.
“He was just really kind — a really, really kind and interesting guy, and he left quite a legacy,” Provenzano said.
Spanning roughly five decades, Gualazzi’s numerous roles and accomplishments at the municipal level were compiled by the City of Sault Ste. Marie during Provenzano’s time in office. He says that even though not many Saultities may know it, Gualazzi was actually a key figure in bringing municipal swimming pools to the Sault.
“For a city councillor, he really had an outsized impact,” said Provenzano. “His contribution to the community was tremendous.
“It was really sizable.”
His son says that most people in the Sault know Gualazzi as a kind, approachable person who was willing to help just about anyone out. When Gualazzi served as a city alderman, Brian says, his dad would always be willing to hear the concerns voiced to him by community members.
“He kept a journal, and every phone call that came in was recorded,” Brian said. “Never, never did he not return a call.”
The following is a list of Gualazzi’s service contributions and accomplishments compiled by the City of Sault Ste. Marie:
- Alderman, Ward 5, 1965-1983
- Memorial Gardens Commission, 1964-1965
- Planning Board, 1965-1971
- Children’s Aid Society, 1966-1975
- Urban Renewal Committee, 1968-1971
- Emergency Measures Organization, 1968-1982
- Executive Member, Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities, 1971-1982
- President, Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities, 1979
- Community Services Board, 1972-1982
- Day Care Advisory Board, 1972-1978
- Director, Ontario Traffic Conference, 1972-1979
- Executive Member, Ontario Traffic Conference, 1977-1979
- First Vice-President, Ontario Traffic Conference, 1979
- Executive Member, Ontario Municipal Recreation Association, 1973-1979
- Maintenance Management Advisory Committee, 1973-1979
- Historic Sites Board, 1979-1982
- Member of the Sault Ste. Marie Hockey Hall of Fame, 1983-present
- Inducted (Player) Sault Ste. Marie Hockey Hall of Fame, 1993
- Public Library Board, 1985-1997
- Committee of Adjustment, 1992 to present; 12 years as chair (1998-1999, 2003-2004, 2007-2008, 2011-2012, 2015-2016, 2019-2020)
- Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee
Flags outside of Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre will remain at half-mast until Gualazzi’s funeral Wednesday.