Obituary of Adone “Ed” Mario Cavoli

Adone “Ed” Mario Cavoli, of Scotia, NY, died at home on March 19, 2023, his wife and children by his side. He was 92.

For more than 75 years, Adone, a native of the Dolomite mountains of Northern Italy, resided in Schenectady County. He was founder of Cavoli’s Grinding, a knife- sharpening service, still owned and operated by third and fourth generations of the family.

Adone was born July 4, 1930, to Vigilio and Marina (Martello) Cavoli, in Pinzolo, a tiny river valley village in the Trentino–Alto Adige region of northern Italy. At birth, he weighed just over 3 pounds. Acting on the advice of a local midwife, his mother kept him warm by placing him in their stone oven.

For the next 17 years, the Brenta Dolomites—where the locals spoke their own secret and difficult dialect and subsisted on mountain farming—served as the backdrop to his life. It was there he became a skilled Alpinist and learned to cherish nature.

Adone wasn’t even 10 years-old when his parents, wanting to move the family to the U.S., traveled by steamer to their future home. After Vigilio found a job, Marina returned to pick up the boys, but WWII broke out and travel became impossible; the family was separated for seven years. Adone, the eldest of four brothers, assumed the role of provider, a responsibility that would define his entire life.

Once Marina and the boys could rejoin Vigilio in 1947, the Cavoli family eventually settled in the Goose Hill neighborhood of Schenectady, NY, where they welcomed a fifth child, Adone’s sister Ida. Adone and his father began Cities Grinding Service, which later became Cavoli’s Grinding, Incorporated.

In 1956, Adone married Barbara Barbera and moved to Scotia to raise 5 children. He taught by example and believed in hard work, working every day of the week and rarely taking vacation. Everything he did was for his family. He was a devout Roman Catholic and a warm and giving father, who was a constant mentor and fervent provider.

It would be an understatement to describe Ed as self- sufficient.

He was at once a farmer, gardener, butcher, chef, electrician, mechanic, carpenter, welder, plumber, horticulturist, dancer, medic (treating his children’s cuts and scrapes with grappa), and an expert in animal husbandry. Every summer he foraged for “finferli,” wild mushrooms also known as chanterelles. He exercised nearly every day, eschewed processed food, and was careful to (almost) always eat healthy — usually from his own garden and livestock. He taught his children how to drive, change the oil in the car, nordic and alpine ski, run a foot race, braid hair, plant and graft trees, tend a garden, break a horse, bale hay, cook traditional Northern Italian foods, do one-handed pushups, and butcher a side of beef. Ed never graduated from high school, but he was well-read and loved crossword puzzles. He was a devotee of radio talk shows and he’d argue politics and sports with anyone who had the mettle to challenge his passionate rhetoric.

For those who never had the privilege of meeting Ed, here are some highlights from his remarkable life: As a child, he spent weeks above timberline (often alone) tending his grandfather’s cows. One of those trips involved a bear chasing him up a tree, where he stayed until dark. While serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, his right leg was smashed by a heavy artillery gun —and he beat the odds with a complete recovery. His appetite was legendary throughout his life, once winning an Army hotdog eating contest. He testified at a murder trial after one of his company’s knives was used by the perpetrator. He ran into a burning house to save his elderly neighbor, and then went back to save her dog. He even stitched his own stomach, with fishing line, after a mishap in the shop with one of his very sharp knives. A member of the Sandrin clan, he was one of the world’s last living native speakers of Tarun.

In short, Ed was a singular human being, the likes of which we may never see again.

Ed was predeceased by his parents, and his brother Claude Cavoli. He will be forever mourned by his wife of 67 years, Barbara, and his children, Mel (Gail) Cavoli, Gloria (Bruce) Bochette, Lillian (Sal) LoBaido, Laura (Dan) Donlon, and James (Julie Scelfo) Cavoli. He was “Poppy” to his 9 grandchildren: Sarah Cavoli (Kawasky Ponce), Alex Cavoli, Grace (Cory) Jackson; Gabriel and Genevieve LoBaido; Christian Donlon; and Luca, Nico & Julian Cavoli; as well as a great-grandson, Landon Cavoli, and another one on the way. He also leaves his beloved brothers, Ivo (Rita) Cavoli and Chester Cavoli, cherished sister Ida (Bill) Chisamore, and many adored nieces and nephews.

A viewing will take place on Sunday, April 2 from 12 to 3pm at The Glenville Funeral Home, with A Liturgy of the Word at 1 pm. A private interment with military honors will follow the next morning at St. Anthony’s Cemetery, also in Glenville. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a tree planted in his honor in Val di Femme (via wownature.eu) or a donation made to the Parkinson’s Foundation. Online condolences www.glenvillefuneralfuneralhome.com