Obituary of John Pantelopoulos

JOHN YIANNI? PANTELOPOULOS It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sudden passing of John Pantelopoulos December 15, 2012. John passed away peacefully at the Regina General Hospital. John was born Jan 10, 1928 in Agios Vasilios, Greece. He is predeceased by his parents Elias and Vasiliki Pantelopoulos; his brothers George, Tim and sisters Mina and Dimitra. John is survived by his loving wife Sotiria; Children, Leo (Marina), Vicki (Claude) and Nick; Grandchildren Yianni and Jonathan. Hes also survived in Greece by his brother Thanasi and sister Maria as well as numerous nephews and nieces. John was the second of seven children. As you can imagine, back then, life wasnt always easy in Greece. John worked hard from a young age on his familys farm and in his studies where he completed his high school (a rarity at that time in Greece). That was followed by his entry into the Greek Army as a member of the air force which he was always proud of. John moved to Canada in the 1950s where his brother George was already established. He made his way to Kitimat B.C. where he worked at Alcan Aluminum and made lifelong friendships. He then moved to Saskatchewan and ventured to North Battleford to join friends as a co-owner of the Dominion Caf. His life changed when he was introduced to a beautiful young woman, Sotiria Pontikis. From there the courtship began and John and Sotiria were married April, 28th, 1963. Their first child Leo was born in North Battleford. From there the couple decided to move to Regina where they were blessed with the births of Vicki and Nick. John remained in the restaurant business with various partners in (Dionysos and The Golden Steer) after a fruitful stint as owner of Sky Billiards. He retired in the late 1980s. Throughout the years John was a proud member and volunteer of the Greek Community of Regina. John was a very social person and nurtured many close friendships. John was not one to sweat the small stuff in life. He rarely complained about much of anything. Through it all he was very proud of his family. He had a loving relationship with Sotiria. They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2013. He was proud of his children, all very accomplished in their field of work. He was also very close to his two grandchildren who have both taken his name. John was healthy up to his final hours. He will be sorely missed by his family, friends and many others who have crossed paths with him. A PRAYER SERVICE will be held at St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church, 3000 Argyle Road, Regina, SK on Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. FUNERAL SERVICE will take place at St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church on Thursday, December 20th, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. with interment to follow at Regina Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations in Johns memory may be made to St. Pauls Greek Orthodox Church. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.speersfuneralchapel.com