Tributes for Alloa "family man" Amleto Toma who passed away recently

A well-known character in the town, Amleto was described as a “kind, caring man who always had questions to ask”.

In his youth and middle-age, he set up and ran a number of businesses, and was hailed as a dedicated servant to the community, both as the man in the ice cream van and shop owner.

However, he may well be remembered affectionately for his cheery and chatty nature in his later years, as he sat on the bench outside Anna’s Larder on Candleriggs almost every day.

His daughter Vilma told the Advertiser: “He’s not just someone who made ice cream or who sat behind the counter in the van or in the shop. There was so much more to my dad.

“He was a real family man and a people man. There was nothing my dad couldn’t tackle; nothing was too much bother. He loved his customers, they were his friends, and the legacy he has left us with is second to none.”

Born in Cowdenbeath in September 1927, Amleto would later settle in Alloa with his father Giovanni opening an ice cream business on Primrose Street by 1938.

Amleto later followed suit and soon enough he had a thriving business of ice cream vans which travelled as far as Edinburgh, though for Amleto there was no community quite like his own.

Vilma added: “He was known around the Bottom End of Alloa – they were his people. There was a lot of respect for him there and he held a lot of respect for the people there too. He never wanted to let them down.”

He married his wife Anna in in the mid 1950s and together they had their son John and Vilma.

By then he already had a fish and chips shop in the town and later set up Anna’s Larder in 1970.

He was said to have always had a “hands-on attitude to his shop” and always realised the importance of his customers, a work ethic that filtered down to his son and daughter.

Indeed, the idea of closing the shop for personal time did not sit to well with him, but he could be persuaded for the right occasion.

Vilma said: “We never close the shop. But just before Christmas I said to my dad, you know, why don’t we close the shop for first week of the year and spending some quality time together?

“He said to me: ‘Vilma, the customers depend on you, you’ll be letting them down’. Well, my reply was: “I depend on you and you’re letting me down’.

“We then agreed to shut the shop and I couldn’t wait for the new year week. I was desperate for it.

“But on January 2, my dad a wee slip and ended up in hospital with a dislocated shoulder. We thought ‘oh well’ – at least we would still be able to spend some time with him.”

However, Vilma and her family were then given the bad news that Amleto was seriously ill.

She said: “We had a room to ourselves, and we got to spend the last three weeks over his life, all day, every day, with dad. We brought him everything he wanted; we even took up his favourite blanket and pampered him a bit.”

Amleto’s death was unexpected and spending his last few weeks in hospital meant he was unable to part with the town he loved on his own terms.

But in order to right that wrong, his family have arranged for a brief procession to take place to allow the departed a fitting send-off.

Vilma said: “He never got to say cheerio to his life down here. So when his body is being taken into the church on Wednesday evening, we’ll take him past the shop and let him say his goodbyes. We’ll sit there for a wee bit and we’ll leave the lights on inside for him.

“I think he’d be really happy with that. He loved the shop, he used to sit outside on the bench and up until three weeks ago he would come into the shop and talk to customers all day.”

Amleto’s service will take place at St Mungo’s RC Church on Mar Street in Alloa on Thursday morning at 10am.

From there, the procession will go to Sunnyside Cemetery for 11 am and thereafter to house for a reception where a photographic display to Amleto has been lovingly prepared by the family.