Obituary of John Sirounis

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of John Sirounis on Sunday, June 17, 2018, Father’s Day. John was born in Kastri, Greece on September 5, 1934 to Demetrios and Aggeliki. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Anne; his adoring children, Angie (Harry) Constantinides, Jim, and Maria (Danny) Sirmis; and beloved grandchildren, Evangelos, Stelios, John, Chrissy, Odysseas, and Anastasia. He was a loyal brother to Andrew (Evangelia), Georgia (John), Voula (Jim) Giannoulis, Yiota (George) Nikolaou, and Perry (Maria). John was a dear son-in-law to Panayioti and Maria Makris; loving brother-in-law to Kelly (Michael) Makropoulos, John (Voula) Makris, Nick (Marina) Makris, and Eugenia (Marinos) Tsioros; and beloved uncle to many nieces and nephews in Canada and Greece.

John’s father sent him to Canada at the young age of 16 years old, to work and help his family during the difficult post-World War II years in Greece. He arrived in Canada at the historic Pier 21 in Halifax and travelled for four days by train to Saskatchewan to work. Eventually, John brought his family to Canada. He valued the opportunities that Canada offered. For three years, John worked at his relative’s restaurant, the Elite Café in Saskatoon. He then moved to Regina to settle and receive his family from Greece. John then began a wonderful 55 year business partnership with Bill Perentes and Arthur Pontikes, whereby they owned and operated several establishments, including The Champs Cafe, The Ehrle Coffee Shop, The Dog ‘n Suds Drive In, The Red Ox Steak House, and The Paddock Theatre Restaurant. John retired briefly for a year, until Anne convinced him to open a Houston Pizza on Albert Street. We had lots of Boxing Day family reunions in the party room there.

John was a devoted founding member of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church. He was a loyal member and officer of the American Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association (AHEPA) for over 60 years. John was a voracious reader of books, newspapers, and business texts. He enjoyed listening to music, ranging from Greek folk music to classical. John particularly loved Donna Summers and Maria Callas. He became a rock and roll music fan, listening to the American and Canadian bands that performed at The Paddock. John first delved into computers in the late eighties. He enjoyed reading varied English and Greek newspapers online.

Anne and John loved gardening, aspiring each year to grow a quintessential Greek/Prairie fusion garden. He had fond childhood memories of his Greek garden in Kastri which saved his family from starvation during hard post-war times. He would often say “Your home is only truly complete with a garden.” John and Anne enjoyed their retirement years in Arizona, spending lots of time hiking and socializing with their friends in Superstition Springs. He also loved walking with Anne around Wascana Lake, in Regina, working out at the gym, and having afternoon coffee at all his family and friends’ various restaurants. He loved taking family road trips to the Rockies and California, and travelling to Greece.

John was a man of honour, who loved to help others and was the ultimate optimist. He was a mentor to many aspiring restaurateurs/entrepreneurs. John always freely offered advice (often unsolicited) to young people about the importance of education.

In his final years, John moved to Ontario to be closer to his children and grandchildren, whom he enjoyed very much. For the last 6 months he resided at Sheridan Villa in Mississauga where he received exceptional care! Our family will always be indebted to John’s exemplary health care team.

Prayers will be held at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church, 3000 Argyle Road, Regina, SK on Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Service will take place at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church on Monday, June 25, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. Interment will be at the Riverside Cemetery. We offer our thanks to Father Spyridon Vandoros for his support. In lieu of flowers, if desired, a donation may be made to St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church or the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, 304-2550 12^th Avenue, Regina, SK S4P 3X1.