Ioannis Douzenis

Ioannis "Yianni" Douzenis, 70, of Vancouver, BC, passed away on Saturday, November 23rd 2013 at his home. He had a lengthy battle against heart disease (23 years), but eventually succumbed to cancer after a noble 11 month struggle. The family is grateful to Dr. John Yun and his team (especially Lisa & Glenda) at Richmond Hospital Cancer Care Clinic for their compassion, commitment, and belief in the human spirit. Dr. Saul Isserow, his cardiologist for many years, also believed in Yianni’s spirit and desire to live - and for this, we thank him for his many years of help and service.

Yianni was born on August 23rd, 1943 in Paralio Astros, Greece to Demitri and Spyridoula (née Daliani) Douzenis. In his younger days, he was the goaltender for the local soccer team "Achilleas" in Paralio Astros, and lived for a time working in Athens (with Olympic Airways) and Sacramento, CA, before returning to Astros. On a hot, rainy summer day in Greece in 1976, Yianni met his future wife, Anastasia. They danced in the streets until they were soaking wet. In love, he joined her in Vancouver, Anastasia's home town, in November of that year. Following a short and sweet engagement, they were married on Boxing Day of the same year. Yianni worked as a server at some of Vancouver's legendary Greek restaurants until 1990, when he suffered a massive heart attack. From then on, he dedicated his life to taking care of his family and his home, becoming care-giver to several family members and friends. He was a man of his local community and his homeland, bringing this to every aspect of his life. He served as a director of the Panarcadian Benevolent Society of BC for 36 years and was president for 12 of them. A proud Canadian, he contributed to our tapestry through his observations of Greek traditions and customs, within a Canadian context, whenever he could. He especially enjoyed hosting Greek Easter celebrations at home.

Yianni is survived by his wife of almost 37 years, Anastasia Mirras; his only child, Demitrios and his wife Jessica; two grandchildren Anastasia and Ioannis, with a third grandchild due in a matter of weeks; his sister Anna (Argiris) of Melbourne, Australia; his sister Evangelia of Paralio Astros, Greece, and; several nieces, nephews, and cousins throughout Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Everyone who knew him was touched by his zest, charm, classiness, and caring nature. Our quiet, humble hero will be missed.

A Trisagio prayer service will be held on Thursday, Nov 28th at 7pm at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 4500 Arbutus Street. Funeral service will be held at St. George on Friday Nov 29th at 11am, with Rev. Fathers Demetrios Partsafas, Constantinos Economos, Konstantinos Tsiolas, and Dorotheos Tryfonopoulos officiating. Burial will follow at approximately 12:45pm at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 3789 Royal pak Avenue, Burnaby. No flowers by request. Donations can be made to either Camp Metamorphosis (Hellenic Community of Vancouver), Richmond Hospital Cancer Care Clinic, or a special community project in his hometown of Paralio Astros, Greece (please contact family).