Mrs. Anthoula Stavridis

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of our beloved mother and grandmother, Anthoula Stavridis nee Theodoridis. Anthoula passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 9th. She was born in Alexandroupolis, Greece on March 17, 1942 and immigrated to Vancouver, Canada in 1965 to marry her husband Michael where they first settled in Kitsilano.

Mom was loving, kind, gregarious and generous to all those around her and loved being surrounded by friends, but her greatest joy was her family and especially her grandchildren whom she made her top priority. She loved looking after them when they were little (she will always be remembered for being the grandma who brought the cookies to the playground after school) and then as they grew, inviting them and their friends over for lunches, after school refreshments and weekend brunches. She was the life of any gathering, outgoing and friendly with a twinkle in her eye and kind words, but also not scared to express her opinion.

Mom was an incredibly doting mother, always maintaining a warm and loving home, advocating the importance of learning not only at school but also by taking us to endless museums, and instilling in us a love of reading. Mom was also a role model showing the younger female generation that it was possible to work and have a family. Mom started her career as a tapestry weaver in Athens, Greece where she apprenticed under the esteemed artist Yannis Faitakis. She excelled in her craft and revelled in Athens culture. Some of her fondest memories of that time were attending the theatre and other Athenian cultural events, visiting the Acropolis and the Greek National Archeological Museum every other Sunday. While she took a break from these events to travel to Canada, marry and have her family, she eventually went back to work as a tapestry weaver with a local Vancouver artist. She never lost her deep love of Greece so took the opportunity to lead a number of weaving and textile tours to Greece with a good friend from Seattle, Washington where she met many lifelong friends from Canada and the US. Before retiring, she spent fun years working with friends interested in fashion and textiles at Jax.

Mom is predeceased by her parents Peter and Thomai, and her loving husband Michael. She is survived by her daughters Thomasina (Rob) and Georgia (Brian), grandchildren Michael, Kristen and Anthea, her brother Nicholas (Angela) and many nieces and nephews both in Canada and Greece. Mom will be deeply missed by all those who knew her.

Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, March 21st at 7:00pm at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 4500 Arbutus Street, Vancouver, BC followed by a reception in the main hall. Flowers are gratefully declined in favour of donations to Arthritis Society Canada or Heart and Stroke Foundation or your charity of choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MountPleasantFuneral.com for the Stavridis family.