Mario Trubiano

Mario F. Trubiano, 79, passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family on Saturday, February 11, 2023. Mario is survived by his loving wife, Susana de los Heros, his daughter Ivra-Lucia, his son Antonio and his wife Amanda, and his two grandchildren Mario and Enzo. He is also survived by his brother Reno and his wife Christine, his brother Fausto, and his sister-in-law, Elaine Cinelli.

Mario is predeceased by his late wife Cecilia “Cici” Trubiano, his parents Lucio and Ivra, his brother Dino and his wife Janet, his nephew Dino and his wife Susan, his brother Carmine, and his sister Pasquina.

Mario was born in Castiglione a Casauria, Italy in 1944. He endured and overcame the poverty and scarcity of post WWII Italy with the love and support of his family together with his indomitable sense of determination. He immigrated to the United States at fourteen, living with his family in Natick, Massachusetts. Mario attended Wellesley High School where he discovered his immense passion for the Spanish language and culture with the help and support of his Spanish Teacher Ms. Mildred Thelen. She recognized his talent and described him as a “rare orchid in [her] garden of students”. It was Ms.Thelen who motivated him to go to college to pursue his passions. Mario went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, his Master’s Degree in Education from Boston College, his second Master’s Degree and his Ph.D. in Spanish Language and Literature both from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As a graduate student at UMass Amherst, he and his beloved friend, Phillip Johnston, founded the John Kennedy Club seeking social justice and opposing the War in Vietnam.

Mario became a Professor of Spanish at the University of Rhode Island where he taught for over 40 years. He specialized in Golden Age Spanish Theater and published a myriad of articles and a seminal book about Tirso de Molina, best known for his theater play“Don Juan”. Mario also dedicated his professional career to advancing hispanic studies. In 1980, he established the Latin American Student Association along with Tom Morin. Mario also foresaw the importance of immersing students in Spanish language and culture, so in 1984 he founded the University of Rhode Island’s Summer Study Abroad Program in Salamanca, Spain. He would go on to direct that program for the next 34 years, introducing thousands of students to the Spanish language, literature and culture and changing their lives with the experience of studying abroad. With the help of literary critic and dear friend, Angel Basanta, he was able to host some of the most prominent contemporary hispanic writers including Ana María Matute, Almudena Grandes, José Hierro, Alfredo Bryce Echenique, Luis Mateo Diez, Jose Maria Merino, Paloma Pedrero, Jose de Santos, Javier Cercas and many others.

Mario is remembered as an engaging and caring professor who never forgot his immigrant roots. His driving force was his deep sense of love, justice and family. He lost Cici, his wife and the mother of Antonio in 1992. In 1997, Mario would open his heart again to Susana de los Heros, or clavelito. Mario, an ode to life, shared his passionate cooking with the freshest ingredients, including his own olive oil from his land in Italy. He was the personal chef for his family, his friends and anyone else that had the good fortune to have been a guest at his table. Mario enjoyed traveling, cooking, a good bottle of wine, and strong espresso. He did everything with gusto, but most importantly he enjoyed doing those things with the people he loved and cherished. For Mario, sharing these moments was the greatest gift. He knew how to find meaning and love around him, even during difficult times. As the rock of his family, his purpose was always to improve the lives of those he cared about.

Anyone who met Mario knows that he was larger than life, charming, meticulous in everything he did, funny, irreverent, sincere, and loyal almost to a fault. Always a contrarian, he never passed up an opportunity to engage in spirited debates or tilt at windmills, especially regarding politics or anything he considered snobbish or unfair and yet did not let his zeal get the best of friendship.

In 2017 Mario was diagnosed with cancer, the same illness that previously took his first wife, and his father. He battled his illness for over five years, and although the cancer eventually overcame his medicine, it could never overcome his dignity and honor, hope and charity, his capacity for love and joy, his sense of wonder and justice, or his commitment to those he loved.

A funeral Mass will be held on Friday, February 17, 2023 at 11:00 am at Christ the King Parish in South Kingstown, RI for all to attend followed by reception. Saturday, February 18, there will be a private burial.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations made in Mario’s memory to the University of Rhode Island. Checks can be made payable to the URI Foundation and Alumni Engagement and mailed to PO Box 1700, Kingston, RI, 02881, with a note in the memo line of “Mario F. Trubiano”, or make a secure gift online by visiting the online giving form and indicating a memorial gift.

For those who are unable to attend the service but still wish to view the funeral mass via live-stream, please use the following link: https://youtube.com/live/15rMfzsGZ_c?feature=share