It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we mourn the passing of our sister and aunt, Rena Stylianou. Sister to Vera Gevikoglu (Stylianou) and Yola Hayes (Stylianou), Aunt to Jeanette and Natasha Gevikoglu, and Great-Aunt to Andrew Linton, Zain and Yusuf Ishaq.

Rena was born on the 16 June 1954 at the Nicosia General Hospital, Nicosia, Cyprus. She was the youngest of three girls; her parents Hasmig Hovivian and Christophoros Stylianou. A premature baby, she was christened in the hospital and lived the first four years of her life in Cyprus. In the 1950's the Island of Cyprus was in turmoil with ethnic conflicts. Being a British Colony since 1917, the UK Government granted the island its independence due for in 1961. As a born British subject, her mother, widowed in 1956 decided to move the family to the United Kingdom and in 1959 Rena with the rest of her family left Cyprus for the UK. Her primary education was in the UK where as a youngster and then a teenager she attended Braincroft Junior School and then Wykham Secondary School, in London.

When she left School in 1971, she worked for Marks and Spencers retail company in the UK. Highly thought of and a conscientious employee, Marks and Spencers offered her employment with them in Canada when she arrived in 1976. After gaining her Accountanting Degree at the Toronto School of Business, she was employed by Sandylion labeling, CTV, and Postmedia in their accounting departments. Very thorough in her work she gained the admiration of those who worked with her. She retired from Postmedia a year ago.

Like her birth, Rena’s death was premature and she will be missed by her sisters and nieces who will always remember having many fond memories of her in childhood and adulthood.
In memory of her and in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dorothy Ley Hospice or the Canadian Cancer Society. The family extends its grateful thanks to the nurses and staff at Dorothy Ley Hospice for the excellent attention and care they gave Rena in her final weeks of life.