Sobey Wall of Honour
Column
117
Row
15
John Sirounis was born in Kastri, Greece on September 5th 1934, the 5th child of Demetrios and Aggeliki. Demetrios was a successful, hard working shoemaker, putting in 12 hour shifts.
Aggeliki was busy at home raising 6 children with a huge garden that supplied healthy food all year around plus raising chickens and goats.
Then war erupted and he could not find leather and other supplies to make shoes. Everything stopped. The schools closed and John loved to learn. Demetrios was frustrated; didn’t know what to do, he tried farming - didn’t work.
He asked John, "would you like me to write to our relatives in Canada to sponsor you there to give you a job they have business there, to help us out but I am afraid you are too young". John got exited and said "Dad I am not young any more I am 16 already".
On May 19, 1951 his dad took him to Athens with other young and older people to board the ship to take them to Halifax and then take the train for days to go to Regina.
They reached Regina on June 9th, the relatives and friends met them at the train station - very friendly. They fed and had rooms for them to stay.
It was difficult to find work for them; some they had to wait but they found work for John in Saskatoon at the Elite café.
John was happy to wash dishes and make money to send to the family back home, but he was too short to reach the huge dishwasher machine, so they built a platform to step on to reach.
After 6 months, his boss Mr. Sam Girgoulis called John and said "John from now on I will call you Jay because we have 3 boys here called John, so I don’t mix you up. Anyway, he said, Jay you are not a good dish washer but you can be a good waiter and I will train you."
John eager to learn English every day on his breaks studied one paragraph word by word with the help of a pocket dictionary called How to learn English without a teacher that he brought from Greece, in 6 months he spoke English and was able to enjoy reading books.
John loved Canada with all the opportunities it offers also all his life was appreciative of the people that brought him into Canada and have a great life for him and all the people that he brought later.
He sponsored family, cousins, distant relatives and whoever asked to come to Canada.
At 20 years old he started business with 2 of his friends Arthur Pontikes and Bill Perentes, they were getting along well and they thrived 55 years together. They operated restaurants and a nightclub in the 1980s.
In 1962 he married Anne Makris and they had 3 children and 6 grandchildren; very happy, proud husband, father, grandfather.
Unfortunately, after 81 years was stricken with Vascular Dementia along with Alzheimer’s and decided age 83 to leave Regina and go to Toronto to be with his children and grandchildren.
He enjoyed their company and their big hugs.
The last 6 months of his life needed more care and was lucky to get admitted at the Sheridan Villa. He had ultimate care with the best professionals and compassionate staff.
Sheridan Villa has a green house to visit all year around and gardens with flowers and vegetables spring and summer. Anne and family enjoyed long strolls with John outside weather permitting - the spring sun, the flowers, cherry and maple trees and the school children playing in the nearby school. John passed peacefully in the morning June 17 on Fathers day with his wife and his beloved son holding his hand.
His funeral, as he planned, happened back home in his beloved Regina on June 25, 2018.
