Serani Guerrino Peter and Catherine (Siviglia)

Guerrino Serani was born in Calgary, Alberta, on October 23, 1914. The family home was located at 412 2nd Avenue N.E., where he and his siblings were born. He attended St. Angela’s School from Grade 1 through Grade 9, just a block away from the family residence.

Although he briefly at

 Peter and Catherine Serani in front of their house

Although he briefly attended St. Mary’s Boys High School, he did not complete Grade 10. Throughout his life, he often spoke fondly of St. Angela’s School, recalling his teachers, classmates, and childhood experiences.

At a young age, Guerrino took on a part-time job selling the Calgary Herald on downtown street corners. He also owned a horse as a boy and likely spent many hours exploring the open spaces north of the Bow River during a time when Calgary was still a relatively small city.

Music played an important role in his youth. He studied the clarinet under the guidance of Professor Pompilio and enjoyed sharing stories about visits to the Palmetto Bakery in downtown Calgary, operated by Peter Sereni. According to Guerrino, he often received pastries free of charge, perhaps due to the similarity between their family names.

From left to right: Catherine • Rick • Peter • Nello

His life spanned many defining events of the twentieth century, including economic booms and busts, the Great Depression, and two World Wars. As a young man coming of age during the Depression, finding stable employment was difficult. While little is known about his activities during those years, he recalled traveling throughout Canada in search of work.

With the outbreak of the Second World War, Guerrino was conscripted into the Canadian Army around 1941. He completed basic training on Vancouver Island and in Vernon, British Columbia, before being posted to Jamaica with the Canadian Army. There he participated in military training exercises and helped oversee Italian and German prisoners of war.

After approximately a year in the Caribbean, he was deployed overseas to Europe. He spoke of his travels through England, Scotland, and Holland, although he rarely discussed the realities of wartime combat. Following the war, he returned to Calgary and soon met Catherine Siviglia, who had arrived in the city from Kimberley, British Columbia, in 1944.

Guerrino and Catherine married in 1947 and purchased their first home on 17th Avenue N.W. During the early 1950s, Guerrino operated a shooting gallery at Bowness Park during the summer months and also worked for several years at the CPR Shops in southeast Calgary.

Throughout his working life, he held many different jobs, but his favorite position was with the City of Calgary Parks Department.