Theodore Tzouhas

It is with great love and sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Theodore “Ted” Tzouhas. He left us peacefully in his 89th year, with his family by his side.

Ted is survived by his loving and devoted wife Maria, son Argy and daughter-in-law Elise, his granddaughter Jordan and fiancé Gianluca, and his loving sister Evangelia. He is predeceased by his beloved son Tony and his brother Tom.

Ted married his childhood sweetheart in the small Greek village they both grew up in. They then moved to Athens to begin their married life. It was while working at the Hilton that Ted met the Rolling Stones during their European Spring Tour in 1968. We loved to listen to him recall the details of that night with a smile. He often rubbed elbows with the rich and famous, delivering high fashion fabrics to the elite of Athens, but that was not the life for him.

In October of 1968, to escape the repressive regime ruling Greece at that time, he packed up his young family and made the courageous move to Canada with the help of his brother Tom. It was here that he was to make a new home.

After arriving in Toronto, he held many jobs but he continued to carry a persistent passion to work for himself. By 1974 he started one of the first Mr. Sub shops in Toronto. Always the entrepreneur, he then started his own restaurants with friends and partners including “The Fireplace” in Whitby, and “Burgers Plus” in Ajax.

Ted was an avid reader and a prolific writer of poems, stories and journals. He has written over 100 journals filled with anecdotes, poems, prayers and musings. His interwoven story lines combined real life events with myth, wisdom and bible verses to create magical tales whose characters often reflected the people in his life.

Ted’s spirit is rich with warmth and love. He always had something good to say about everyone he met. He was a gentle and compassionate man who always put other’s needs above his own. A loyal servant of God’s will, he had a deep appreciation for the beauty found in nature; all of God’s creations – great and small.

Husband, father, brother, papou, uncle, godfather and friend. He was truly a beautiful man inside and out; generous and kind. He will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed by all who had the good fortune to know him.

In lieu of flowers, friends and family can make a donation to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

A visitation will be held at Oshawa Funeral Home, located at 847 King Street West, Oshawa, ON, L1J 2L4, on December 3, 2025, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

The funeral service will take place at Evangelismos Tis Theotokou - Greek Orthodox Church at 399 Farewell St, Oshawa, ON, L1H 6M1, on December 4, 2025, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.

The committal service will be held at Thornton Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Centres, 1200 Thornton Rd N, Oshawa, ON, L1J 0C9, on December 4, 2025, from 11:30 am to 12:00 pm.

Theodore Tzouhas – 40th Day Memorial

Have 40 days already passed since you left us? There isn’t a day that goes by when you are not deeply loved and missed.

How fortunate we are to have so many photographs of you – portraits in time that have captured the beauty and the joy you experienced throughout many moments within your life.

Pictures from Greece in your early days. Beautiful photos of you with Mary, appearing like you both must have been known to the world. Family and friends gathering together in fun. And those, just the beginning.

Not long after your wedding, you began to build a family of your own. You can be seen holding your children with a gaze of miraculous love and adoration…and as they grew, so too did your love for them. A major family departure to a new country and a new life; adventures that could only unfold over time.

Images of your interactions with nature and your encounters with God’s creatures great and small are plentiful. From looking deeply into the beauty of flowers to your delight in witnessing the curiosity of squirrels and your fascination with birds that could take flight with such ease, your observations of nature were always present. Our pets were so happy to see you every time you came to our home. Dogs would greet you on the driveway with tails wagging in anticipation and cats would join you for a nap with undoubted trust and comfort. They could all sense how much you welcomed their love by how much you extended yours – with laughter and smiles and encouraging conversation.

Jasmine, roses, lily of the valley, lilacs, rosemary – all of the fragrant offerings from the garden played a role in your enjoyment of life. It was commonplace to find you sitting in the backyard with a piece of living plant matter between your fingertips, enjoying its perfume. It was no secret how much you marvelled at the ability for something living to smell so good…long and lingering moments of appreciation before gently tucking the sprig behind your ear. Mary created and planted the garden, and you watered it with care and attention.

Reading and writing were two of your favourite ways to spend quiet time alone. You have left behind over 100 handwritten journals filled with wonderful accounts and tales told from the endless resources of your heart and imagination. Reading led you down a path of knowledge and understanding and writing allowed you to express what had been impressed on you in many different ways. I will forever treasure our conversations together exchanging ideas about the commonalities amongst faiths and the presence and importance of humanity’s basic goodness; fundamentals we believed were the building blocks of a peaceful life well lived.

Both you and Mary suffered what is likely the most mortal wound this world can offer – the death of a child. When Tony left, we all felt a loss we could never have imagined but could only experience. None more than his parents. To say losing Tony was an overwhelming blow is an understatement. There are no real words to express the impact of losing your child. It took years to try to begin to accept that he was no longer here…and that was just the first step on the path. If not for their faith in God, their journey would not have been able to endure.

Since the day Jordan arrived, you have remained a devoted and loving Papou. We have so many telling photographs of the two of you, where the joy is shining through as radiant as the sun on a clear summer day. You could always make her smile and laugh…and that always made you smile and laugh. This type of joyful beauty can only be expressed as a result of true love. You had that for her, and she continues to have that for you. Jordan showed us a video recently; you had put flower petals on the path to your house to greet her and her friend before their arrival in Greece for vacation. Your memory holds a sacred place in her life.

When it became clearer that you might be getting ready to go, those who loved you gathered closer to make sure you had everything you needed – little did we know this would be your last year with us. Mary rarely left your side, and even then, only when it was absolutely necessary. She was your guardian, your protector and your lovingly devoted caregiving wife. Her love for you could be seen in action every day, and in every way.

Argy co-ordinated everything the system had to offer in terms of support for you and for his mother. He stayed with you often, every week, and he called multiple times every day when he wasn’t there in person. Our celebrations with you became sweeter and more frequent. We didn’t need a special occasion to be with each other. Our demonstrations of love for you grew more thoughtful and our appreciation of having you with us became more precious. We loved you in real time.

My two favourite common responses from you Ted, that I will never forget:

1. “Never is late.” It took some time to realize how wise that comment was. “It’s never too late,” was my first understanding of that phrase, but “if you never do it, it’s late.” Three simple words; deep with meaning.

2. “Yeah right eh?” One of the most cherished echoes in my memories of you. Whether sharing thoughts regarding faith, science, the cosmos or the simple basic goodness we both believed all human beings have access to, you would always say “Yeah, right eh?”, when we found something new to consider. It was in those moments I realized just how wise you were, how open your mind was and how welcoming and curious you are.

Our kind and gentle Ted. Your ascent into the heavens has left a space in our lives that only you could leave…and only you can fill. We realize more than ever, with each passing day, what a special soul you continue to be in our lives and how blessed we are to reflect on the love we will forever hold in our hearts for you.

Written in your memory, through your daughter’s love. Elise