It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dr. Velizar Harizanov, 84, on August 1, 2023, at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Dr. Harizanov was born on October 30, 1938, in Sofia, Bulgaria to parents Nevena and Anani Harizanov. From an early age, he loved hiking with his dad on beautiful Vitosha mountain in Sofia, and in high school, he became an avid track and field athlete. His interest in science and medicine flourished from a young age, and at 18, he enrolled in medical school in Zagreb, Croatia, where he studied for a year before transferring to the Medical University of Sofia. There, he met the love of his life, Yonka (Tchipilova), a fellow medical student whom he married upon graduation.

As a young doctor Dr. Harizanov worked in the small town of Targovishte and pursued his medical career together with his wife, Dr. Tchipilova. In the early seventies, they worked abroad in their respective fields, first in Tripoli, Libya, and then in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The experience Dr. Harizanov gained while working in Africa proved invaluable throughout his practice.

It was in March 1983 that the family immigrated to Toronto, where Dr. Harizanov worked multiple jobs while obtaining his Canadian medical licence. He opened his medical practice in 1986 at Rosedale Medical Centre, where he continued to provide exceptional care to his patients alongside his beloved wife, until he retired in 2021.

Dr. Harizanov was a kind, strong, caring, impossibly witty, and wonderful man to all who knew him. Medicine was his calling: he was an expert diagnostician with an impeccable bedside manner who treated all patients with warmth, dignity, respect, and generosity. As a polyglot, he lent his acuity for languages to his practice, where he was able to communicate with many of his patients in their native tongues. His impact spans generations of families who have relied on his care.

Dr. Harizanov was a loving husband, father, grandfather, colleague, and friend. A deeply engaging storyteller, he was an erudite speaker whose sharp sense of humour fueled many a late-night conversation among his rich social circle of loved ones. In his spare time, he was a voracious reader who planned to write after retirement, and his memoir has been well underway in recent years.

He loved travelling and exploring the world with his family and friends, where his knack for languages thrived. In his later years, he became an avid stamp and coin collector, no doubt inspired by his travels and the cultures he experienced along the way. He loved a good party – and certainly knew how to host one – and both he and his wife very much enjoyed dancing.

He dedicated his life to helping others, and his legacy will live on among the communities he served over the course of his 60-year career.

Dr. Harizanov is much loved and respected by those he leaves behind. He is survived by his wife, Yonka; son, Anton; daughter Nevena; grandchildren, Thomas, and Victor; son-in-law Simeon Minkov, and treasured companion, Toby the dachshund. He will be immensely missed and fondly remembered by his loving family, friends, colleagues, and patients.

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS:

The family kindly requests that, in lieu of flowers, a donation could be made in Dr. Velizar Harizanov’s memory to one of the following charities:
- The Cancer Society of Canada
- Sunnybrook Foundation
- Alzheimer Society of Canada

The family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time.