Sudbury says goodbye to late Ward 2 Coun. Vagnini

Family, friends and colleagues of the late Sudbury Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini, along with members of the community he served, gathered on Saturday in Walden to celebrate his life.

Vagnini’s ‘My Way’ memorial was held in the upstairs hall at T.M. Davies Community and saw tributes from many of the lives he touched in the Greater Sudbury community and beyond.

Family, friends and colleagues of the late Sudbury Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini, along with members of the community he served, gathered in Walden to celebrate his life on March 23, 2024. (Supplied/Lougheed's Funeral Home)

The hall was at capacity for the March 23 event, which was also attended by numerous emergency services personnel and local politicians – including several other city councillors and Mayor Paul Lefebvre.

Due to the venue’s limited capacity, the ceremony was also streamed live online.

Vagnini was located deceased on Reserve Camp Road in Atikiameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation near the city on Feb. 13 at the age of 62 after being reported missing by family at the end of January and an extensive police and community search efforts.

Police said the councillor had died of “medical causes” following a post-mortem on Feb. 20, while his obituary states he passed “due to natural causes.”

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Gerry Lougheed Jr., who said he counted Vagnini as a friend, officiated the memorial.

Lougheed shared many anecdotes of his memories of the late councillor and his many good deeds, especially of the many meals he and others shared with Vagnini at Gus’ Restaurant near Sudbury’s downtown.

Politicians paid tribute

Many politicians spoke or paid tribute to Vagnini, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

Ford sent a video message that was played during the celebration of life that said the late councillor will be remembered for being a “fierce advocate for his community.”

“Michael had a heart of gold and was a champion in his community. He was always willing to help others,” said Ford.

“One of the greatest accomplishments of his is the ‘No One Eats Alone’ project, where he would bring people no matter their background to have a meal together.”

The premier said he will always remember Vagnini’s kind personality.

“I will always remember his devotion to others – including the people of Sudbury,” Ford said.

“Michael will be missed by many.”

Nickel Belt MPP and NDP health critic France Gélinas also sent a video tribute for the memorial.

Ward 2, which Vagnini represented for almost a decade, was located mostly in her riding.

Gélinas shared stories of the many events they worked on together such as the Anderson Farm fall fair.

Sudbury Police Association President Sgt. Randy Buchowski’s video tribute also played at the ‘My Way’ celebration, he also referred to Vagnini as having “a heart of gold.”

Buchowski spoke of Vagnini’s time on the Sudbury Police Services Board and his work with the former Italian Club in Copper Cliff.

“Mike had an energy … like no other and he had clothes that you would have thought ran off that energy,” said Buchowski, referring to the late councillor's often flashy wardrobe.

Greater Sudbury Ward 2 Michael Vagnini was located deceased on Reserve Camp Road in Atikiameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation on Feb. 13, 2024. (Supplied/Lougheed Funeral Homes)

• PHOTO GALLERY: The late Michael Vagnini's wonderful wardrobe over the years

Mayor Lefebvre addressed the crowd in person, thanking the late councillor’s family for organizing the gathering and shared his memories of how proud Vagnini always was of his two daughters, Alison and Erin.

Lefebvre also shared stories of Vagnini’s time before politics in his career as a financial adviser.

“We know Michael was a fierce advocate for work too,” he said.

“Before politics, I used to be a tax lawyer … So he would invite me to come talk about tax planning to his group and I did it over many, many years.”

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Lefebvre said his friendship and camaraderie with Vagnini continued when he became the MP for Sudbury, attending Ward 2’s winter carnivals and the Anderson Farm tree lighting, but when he became mayor they worked more closely together.

“We had a really good relation – then when I became mayor, certainly then, Michael had his way of advocating for his people,” he said.

“He was so passionate about it – he voiced his opinion in a way that only Michael could – then he winked at me because he knew sometimes that he would go over the line and he would say something, but that is what lit him up.”

Lefebvre spoke of Vagnini not waiting when flooding was happening, purchasing sandbags for Ward 2 residents to divert water and then letting council know they had the opportunity to buy them from him for when it happened again.

He spoke of the time when snow banks in Vagnini's ward got too high and he picked up a shovel himself not waiting for city staff to clear them.

Family memories

Janie Galipeau, Vagnini's parter, shared a video tribute telling stories of their lives together at his memorial. (Supplied/Lougheed Funeral Home)

Janie Galipeau, Vagnini’s partner, shared the story of how they ended up sharing their lives together in a video that played at the memorial.

Vagnini’s brother, Peter, was one of the first speakers at the memorial.

“One of the things Michael and I did when we were younger was made a promise that we would never tell anything about each other,” he said.

Peter used his time to thank the crowd and community for their support during this difficult time.

The late councillor’s youngest daughter, Alison, said while she had heard many amazing things about her dad recently -- about his careers and achievements -- to her and her sister, Vagnini will always be something more, an incredible father.

Erin, his oldest daughter, opened her speech with a joke about Lougheed, before sharing stories of her father and his unwavering support for her and her sister.

She also told the story of how she told her dad she was expecting her daughter Adora and how her father, who often “pranked” her then told her “This is the happiest day of my life other than the day your sister was born.”

“Thank you so much for teaching me how to be the best mother I could possibly be to Adora,” she said.

“I promise you, I promise you, I will take care of her.”

Other notable tributes

Vagnini’s long-time friend and adviser Tom Price also spoke in person at the memorial.

Price said the eight minutes they had given him to talk about Vagnini was not enough and continued to share kind words for more than 10 minutes.

Vagnini’s lawyer, friend and advocate Michael Lacy sent a video tribute in which he expressed how grateful he was that he had found himself in the late councillor’s “orbit.”

Video tributes also came from his former colleagues and clients in his career as a financial adviser and a touching video was produced by the Beaver Lake Sports and Culture Club to thank him for all he had done for their community.

A family friend also performed Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’ as a tribute to the late councillor and his father Tony.

More than just memories

Lefebvre said he will be introducing a motion at city council to rename the hall the ceremony was held in after Vagnini.

The Vagnini family, represented by Alison and Erin, donated Michael’s now infamous trailer he used to collect goods for those in need in the community to Sudbury Outreach Support (SOS).

The Vagnini family donated Michael’s now infamous trailer he used to collect goods for those in need in the community to Sudbury Outreach Support during his memorial service. (Supplied/Lougheed's Funeral Home)

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February was a difficult month for Greater Sudbury city council as Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier died at Health Sciences North on Feb. 21 at the age of 69 following a recent health issue. Montpellier’s funeral was held on Feb. 24 at Paroisse St. Joseph in Chelmsford.