PETROU, Olga - It is with incredible sadness and very heavy hearts that we announce the death of our dear mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and aunt, Olga Petrou. She passed away peacefully on the morning of January 11th, 2022 with her family by her side at the beautiful age of 89. In her final days, she was surrounded by her loved ones as we all shared many warm and loving memories. Our close family was so gifted to have our Yiayia for so many memorable years. 

She was a devoted wife of George for 45 years, until his passing in 2000. Always a dearly loved mother of Sophia (Nick) and Vasilis (Mary), cherished grandmother of Mike (Christina), Kathy (Anil), Billy (Sonia), Olivia (George) and Effie (Sam) and treasured great-grandmother of 11 great grandchildren Ava, Sienna, Julian, Mekai, Tristan, Melia, Cristian, Austin, Leila, Luciano and Mia. She will be greatly missed and eternally loved by us all.

She was born on July 18th, 1932, the eldest of eight children, in Florina, Greece, where she grew up and lived through World War II with her parents (Achileas and Katina) and her grandmother (Maya). She shared many stories of her time as a child, including caring for her younger sisters, her closeness to her grandmother and climbing the mountains in her village. She married her beloved George in 1955 and moved to Athens with their two children in 1960 where she worked in textiles until she moved to Toronto, Canada in 1973 for a better life for her family. They soon settled in Brampton and she worked very hard for several years in manufacturing to provide for her growing family. In 1988, she retired to selflessly care for her aging mother-in-law and young grandchildren. She and her husband George enjoyed traveling during their retirement, including returning to Greece every summer beginning in 1991 where they had an apartment in Thessaloniki until his passing in 2000. She continued to travel with family visiting England, Germany, France, Switzerland, Greece, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Turkey and the United States making many fond memories.  

She enjoyed cooking (and lovingly known for her delicious pitas and Greek coffee), was extremely talented at knitting (we all have many of her kaltsunias keeping our feet warm), and took pride in taking care of herself, her home and her family. She will be remembered for her deep love, and devotion to her family, along with her kindness, gentle demeanor, compassion for others, and sense of humour.  She loved coffee (always a double double!), red wine, tsípouro and honey in the winter months, and had quite the sweet tooth.

The most selfless, sweetest, generous and gentle soul, she was loved by all who knew her. She taught us all the true meaning of unconditional love, has left an amazing legacy and memories to last a lifetime. She adored her family with every fiber of her being until the very end. She will be missed forever. We love you.

Photo Gallery: https://bit.ly/3A1G7zm

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her name to the Heart & Stroke Foundation (https://www.heartandstroke.ca).