Gaetano “Tano” Aiello was born in the town of Lecce, located on the heel of mainland Italy, in the summer of 1939, just months before WWII began in Europe. From a young age, he showed a deep love for animals-he carried stray dogs into bomb shelters to keep them safe, kept a hedgehog and a baby lamb as pets, and hid chickens in clothes baskets to spare them from becoming that evening’s supper. Tano grew up in an extended family with aunts and uncles who helped him with schoolwork, instructed him in English and taught him to “dance like Fred Astaire,” a talent and joy that stayed with him throughout his life.
As a young adult, his nuclear family moved to the Italian island of Sicily. Tano enrolled in la Università degli Studi di Palermo, where he later earned a position as Professor in the Department of Physics. An interest in the field of sensory substitution led him to spend sabbaticals in San Franciso, then later at UW-Madison, where he met his future wife, Marjorie.
For more than 30 years, Tano split his time between Madison and Palermo, continuing to teach and pursue research until his retirement in 2009. Even after retiring, he maintained an office at the university, staying connected to academic life. However, he also took the time to gaze upon the Mediterranean Sea and Sicilian mountains surrounding his land on the outskirts of Palermo, to play with the scores of semi-feral cats he fed on a daily basis and to visit the major art museums of Europe with his wife.
Tano is survived by his wife Marjorie, her children Leah Springman and Lindsey Duran, their spouses, Charlie Anderson and Josèluis Duràn Cordoba, and their children Ezra Anderson, Charles Anderson, Zoe Duran and Sebastian Duràn. He is further survived by his sister, Giuseppina “Nelly” Aiello.
Tano’s funeral mass will be held at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, in Madison, Monday October 13, at 11:30am, with visitation an hour prior. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, with a luncheon thereafter, at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Rd., Madison.
In honor of Tano’s lifelong love of animals, friends may consider making a donation to a local animal shelter or animal rescue organization.
Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road, Madison
(608) 238-3434
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