Mr Meano operated his bakery called Eldorado Bakery from the early 1970’s up until his retirement a few years ago.
Described as the greatest baker in Johannesburg in his time, Mr Meano operated his business in Lancaster Square opposite Jeppe High School for Girls and then in Cumberland Road next to Eastgate Primary School.
His wife, Mrs Jennifer Elizabeth Meano, descried him as a loving, kind, friendly and understanding person.
“He had a great sense of humour and was a bit of a prankster,” she said.
Mrs Meano (60) said they met in 1972 while she was a pupil at Jeppe High School for Girls. Mrs Meano went to the bakery to buy Chelsea buns and the rest was history.
They married in 1980 at the Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church in Queen Street, Kensington.
Mrs Meano started life in Brakpan before moving to Kensington to attend school.
Mr Meano was originally from Monticello, Italy. He immigrated to South Africa a few years after Word War 2. He lived in Troyeville and bought a house in Kensington in 1962 with his father.
He lived in this house until he died.
Mrs Meano said her husband, although a baker by profession, loved to cook.
“He also loved to read his newspaper and entertain friends and family. He loved his home and spent many hours tending to his vegetable garden and making wine in the back. He was also an avid collector and spent many hours at auctions buying antiques,” said Mrs Meano.
When asked what the secret was to being married for so many years, she said, “Choosing the right person, being patient, caring, understanding and to accept that no one is perfect and therefore you need to work at your marriage. It does not just happen,” she said.
Speaking about the suburb they lived in for so many years, Mrs Meano said Kensington is quiet, family orientated with lots of neighbours and community members who are willing to help one another which is always appreciated.
Mr Richard Francis, a neighbour and an I Love Kensington Association (Ilka) executive committee member, described Mr Meano as a fantastic story teller.
“I only knew Mr Meano for the last five years. He was funny. Sometimes his stories did change a little bit, depending on how many times you had heard the same story. He often had a bee in his bonnet and was relentless in achieving his goal. For example, I can remember him being in hospital about two years ago. He stayed a couple of nights and was eating hospital food. One day he informed me that he thought the sauce on his fish was really good. He promptly hounded the hospital staff for days until he obtained the recipe,” said Mr Francis.
Mrs Rita Gaminara, a former Kensington resident and Jeppe High School for Girls pupil who knew Mr Meano for over 50 years, said he was a “great guy and wonderful baker”.
“I can remember buying pies and Chelsea buns from the Eldorado Bakery when it was opposite Jeppe High School for Girls. I will sorely miss Mr Meano,” she said.
Mr Marco Tommasin, from the Italian Consulate, said Mr Meano was the greatest baker in Joburg in his day.
“Every weekend my family would get together on a Sunday and we enjoyed cake and many other great items made by Mr Meano. Godspeed, we will miss you,” he said.
Mrs Lornette Joseph, the chairperson of Ilka said, “Ilka is always sad to hear of the passing of our residents and more so when we hear of residents of Mr Meano’s calibre and dedication to Kensington. We send our deepest sympathies to his wife and family, friends and old clients who remember him so well. We Wish them all strength during this difficult time.”
@JoziReporter
