Born May 4th, 1934, in Banista (Vevi) Florina, Greece and passed away peacefully and in his sleep on July 14th, 2022.
Survived by his loving wife Marika “Mary”, his son Jim, and his daughters’ Vicky (John) and Maggie (Erick) as well as his 3 grandchildren Phebe, Isaac and Becker.
He was a beautiful, beloved, and dedicated father to his children, a husband to Mom for almost 63 years and a committed, inspirational, and honourable example of how to live a full and respectful life to his children and grandchildren.
He came to Canada in 1961, a humble man with a steadfast determination to provide for his family making a name for himself as a chef and restaurant owner for many years. Dad was our cook, delighting us with the food culture of his beloved homeland - Banitsa. Food to Dad was medicine. Medicine for our souls. He was the head of the table and master of his kitchen.
He was king of his garden, nurturing every vegetable he grew with precious care. He loved his veranda and the therapy the sun provided to him. He was the number one fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs never once wavering in his loyalty and hoping every year that “this would be the year”. The Toronto Blue Jays were his baseball team and Dad would watch as many games as he could on TV.
He was a proud Canadian for over 60 years and an even prouder Macedonian. He loved his Macedonian music, good food and dance celebrating with Mom at many Banitsa dances over the years.
He was a storyteller. If you gave him the stage he would talk for hours, and we listened. We asked questions and it brought us one story closer to his life, his accomplishments, and the wisdom that 88 years of living captured.
He was the patriarch of our family sharing his humour, wisdom, and hospitality to those he knew and loved and to those that he may have not known very well.
He was gracious and generous, blessed with a wonderful and accomplished life surrounded by people who were lucky to know him.
Rest Easy Dad. You were our one in a million.
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The moment you left us, our hearts were split in two, one side was filled with memories, the other side died with you.
We often lay awake at night, when the world is fast asleep, and take a walk down memory lane with tears upon our cheeks.
Remembering you is easy, we do it every day, but missing you is a heartache that will never go away. We held you tightly within our hearts and there you will remain.
You see, life has gone on without you, but will never be the same.

As an expression of sympathy, donations to a charity of your choice would be appreciated.