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Tommy Kyrkos
March 6, 1928 - October 10, 2015
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<div itemprop="description">Tommy was born on March 6, 1928 (now remember this date) in Montreal, Quebec to Gregorios and Agathea Kyrkos who were of Albanian descent. He was the baby of the family with one brother and 6 sisters. Perhaps we should start with some of the interesting ambiquities of his life. His birth name was Chrysostomos Kyrkos, however, throughout the years he was also known as Chris, Tommy, and Henri after his favourite chocolate bar O&rsquo;Henry. When Michele met him he was introduced as Tommy and even had his shirt cuffs monogrammed with &ldquo;Tom&rdquo;. So over the years Michele referred to him as Tommy and introduced him by this name as well. The problem was Tommy introduced himself as Chris. So... many people wondered if Michele was mistaken or perhaps she was married to two different men. And of course the spelling of the last name. He always used the spelling K E R K O S. But when the government cracked down on official documents, he was forced to revert to the legal spelling of his name K Y R K O S. This proved quite an on-going antidote when folks querried the different spellings including this week while making funeral arrangements. Now, for that important date. Yes, his birthday was indeed March 6, but until he was getting married and needed his official birth certificate he believed his birthdate was Mar 15th. Seems this was the day his father registered his birth at the church. So, getting married to Michele allowed him to have a new name and a new birthdate. <br /> <br />Tommy, I&rsquo;ll use this name, but you all know whom I&rsquo;m referring to.... <br />He grew up during the depression in Montreal and saw his father and uncle loose 2 restaurants due to the depression. Times were difficult and as a result, he had to leave school go to work at the age of 10 to help support his family and continued to work two jobs to ensure they had enough. He was a dashing young man and liked his clothes and therefore took great care to have his shirts and suits custom made but always enjoyed critiquing Don Cherry&rsquo;s outfit every Sat during the hockey intermission. Even in the later years he would like to be dressed in a certain manner. He also like to have a good time and was up for whatever adventure was in store for that weekend. He worked for over 22 years for the thread company JP Coats (for those of you who remember them) and then decided to venture out with this brother and open a restaurant in Montreal during Expo 67. It was a great success and while they were planning on expanding, their financial backers withdrew their support. So they both decided to work at local restaurants as chefs, and it was there many years later that Tommy and Michele met - at a New Year&rsquo;s Eve party 45 years ago. <br /> <br />During the time they were dating, Michele was offered a chance to move to Toronto and asked Tommy if she should accept....he let here know he didn&rsquo;t want to stand in the way of her career, SO off she went without him. But, Tommy missed her so much he decided to make the move to Toronto and 5 months later they were back in Montreal to be married. <br /> <br />As was mentioned before, family was very important to Tommy and the birth of his children, Greg, Thea and Andrea were the most happiest and proudest days of his life. He always cherished all the moments that he had with his children. Working the evening shift as a chef at the Guild Inn in Scarborough for 17 years allowed him to be home for his children during the day while Michele worked. The children were spoiled with their Dad preparing scruptious lunches. Friends kept asking if they could come for lunch and inevitably asked &ldquo;do you guys always eat like this?. Yes, they did indeed, for both lunch and dinner were always loving prepared by Tommy before he left for work. Talk about spoiled- Michele still didn&rsquo;t cook any meals until earlier this year and I hear she&rsquo;s real good at using the microwave. Tommy was known especially for his soups/sauces and in particular his stuffing and this secret Kerkos receipe has been passed down to the next generation. The girls fondly remember their Dad taking them to ballet classes on Sat --- at that time he was the only man among all the women sitting in the waiting room - definitely a Dad ahead of his time. During the children&rsquo;s growing up years, he would, when he could, join in on some of the school trips and everyone wanted to sit next to him - why - well he came with his pockets stuffed with bubble gum and candy and freely handed it out throughout the day - no wonder all those children in his group were well behaved. Hockey was a favourite sport of his and he continued to be a loyal fan of the Montreal Canadians. When Greg started playing hockey he couldn&rsquo;t wait to get to the rinks - although some of those early morning games and practices were a little hard given that he worked the evening shift and was functioning on about 3 hours sleep, - but he was there to see Greg play--- proudly carrying his equipment bag. Friendships were formed at the rink with the other Dads and we can all remember a small bunch of them standing around - but we weren&rsquo;t always sure they were talking about the boys playing on the ice as there were many loud laughs that often came from that group. <br /> <br />One aspect of Tommy&rsquo;s character was that he accepted everyone without any reservations - neighbours, work colleagues, mechanics, superintendents etc.. He left an impact on people where ever he went no matter how short the time he spent with them. He was well remembered. Even years later it was like they never were apart. During the last year he encountered numerous health care workers and without question they developed a fondness for him as they kept remarking what a sweet and gentle man he was. <br /> <br /> And in particular, one species that could sense his unconditional love were his animals that were always part of our family - from gerbils to turtles, stray and rescused cats and our dog Duke. Tommy was often heard complaining about the number of animals we had or were taking in on any given day, but loving the fact that he could prepare special &ldquo;meals&rdquo; for each of them. Often Tommy would be asleep in the chair with one or two of the cats in his arms or on the back of the chair and the duke asleep at his feet. Animals seemed to gravitate towards him and he secretly loved the attention.. <br /> <br /> <br />Watching his children grow up was Tommy&rsquo;s greatest joy in life. He was, as all parents are, worried about them and wanting the best for each of them. He gave his heart and love to his children and was able to see them mature into wonderful adults. Each of the children were blessed to find partners that loved them equally as their Dad. Although Tommy initially didn&rsquo;t say too much about their choices, he wanted to take some time to ensure that they would be loved as much as he had loved them. He felt happy and content to see how well these partners treated and loved his children and told Jen, Anselm and Graham that they were not only part of our family, but he considered them his sons and daughter. And then the most wonderful events started happening, - grandchildren - well, how could this mans heart be any more proud - this made his heart swell with even more love and happiness. He was thrilled to experience the birth of each of his 6 grandchildren - Ryan, Natalie, Lauren, Callum, Xavier and Zadie and to be present as they were all baptized. He was content with his heart full of love and awe for each of them. <br /> <br />Throughout all the years, the love of his life was always by his side. <br />When they were newly married, Tommy turned to Michele and said &ldquo;I hope we are always as happy as we are now and always share a good laugh together&rdquo; Well that certainly was evident throughout their life together for anyone who spent any time with them. Even in the last weeks and months, there was always a nugget of life that they laughed about and he always was lovingly teasing her. They enjoyed spending time traveling and cruising. In thinking about it maybe the secret to their long and happy marriage is that Michele worked days while Tommy worked nights - who knows??. <br /> <br /> <br />Tommy often said he felt fulfilled as he was able to live a long life - 86 years in very good health, experienced fatherhood for the first time at the age of 43 and joyously embraced becoming a grandfather in his late 70&rsquo;s . His quiver was indeed full! <br /> <br /> <br />Near the end he kept saying he wanted to go home to see his family and his dog Duke. Now my sweet husband you are home and you have taken with you memories of a life well lived with joy and happiness. <br /> <br /> <br />Tommy, you will be greatly missed and will we will always carry your love in our hearts every day. Each time we have our stuffing and gravy, we know you&rsquo;ll be there amongst us critiquing the taste. Every time the wind gently blows we will know that you are looking down and keeping watch over all of us. Your legacy of love will continue to be seen and shared with your children and grandchildren and we promise to continue to cheer for the Montreal Canadians Your love which you gave to each of us so freely lives on in all of us and we will continue to honour the meaning of family in all that we do <br /> <br />Rest peacefully my Zemma and know that I&rsquo;ll be with you one day. <br />Remember to keep watch for me. <br /> <br />Michele <br /></div>