Iordana Laabs

In Loving Memory of Diane Laabs

Our hearts are heavy as we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Diane Laabs, who passed away on September 18, 2025. She was a woman of immense kindness and grace, an angel on earth who touched the lives of everyone she met.

Born in the small village of Florina, just outside Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Iordana’s (Diane's) life began under a full moon during a time of harvest—a beautiful start to a life that would be marked by both profound challenges and boundless love. Though her exact age remains a mystery, a testament to the era in which she was born, we believe she was close to 80 years old. As a child, she was a stunning girl with blonde hair, big green eyes, and a sweet dimple in her chin.

Life's journey took her far from home at a young age. At just ten years old, she was sent to Melbourne, Australia, where she cared for two young children, cleaning and tending to their needs while forgoing her own education. Later, as a teenager, she moved to Toronto to live with her mother, Zoia Tzotzis, and her new family. Despite her best efforts to find her place, she often felt like an outsider. She found work in a factory and eventually made her way to Vancouver, where she built a new life and met her husband, Martin. Together, they settled down and created a home filled with love and warmth. Diane was the mother of 3 children, Bryan, Michelle and Michael, grandmother of 3, Ciara, Nicolas and Silas.

To those who knew her, whether as Diane, Diana, or Iordana, she was a beacon of light. Despite the many hardships she faced, her spirit remained unbroken. Her life was a constant demonstration of selfless love. Her favorite phrases were "What can I do for you?" and "How can I help you?" She consistently put the needs of others before her own, always ready with a kind word, a warm embrace, or a delicious, home-cooked meal.

For 25 years, she was a cherished member of the German Canadian Care Home family. Her colleagues and the senior residents affectionately called her "Aphrodite," the Greek goddess of love, a fitting nickname for a woman whose compassion was limitless. She found a second family in her coworkers and a deep bond with the residents she cared for so lovingly. She was everyone's favorite, a testament to the beautiful soul she was.

Beyond her work, her greatest dedication was to her family. With only a Grade 4 education, she was a true master of her home, raising three children with unwavering love and care. She cooked wholesome meals, maintained a meticulous home and garden, and somehow put up with the family's many pets. Our small house was a hub of activity, filled with laughter, friends, and the delicious smells of her Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts, which she effortlessly prepared often for more than 20 people.

Diane's life is a powerful reminder that we can all be better, kinder, and more helpful to one another. Her strength came from her deep faith and relationship with God, a source of comfort in her darkest moments and a reason for gratitude in her times of joy. She was a gift to everyone who had the privilege of knowing her, bringing light and happiness wherever she went. We will miss her beyond measure, but her legacy of kindness will live on in all of us.

Echo By Christina Rossetti

Come to me in the silence of the night;

Come in the speaking silence of a dream;

Come with soft rounded cheeks and eyes as bright

As sunlight on a stream;

Come back in tears,

O memory, hope, love of finished years.

O dream how sweet, too sweet, too bitter sweet,

Whose wakening should have been in Paradise,

Where souls brimfull of love abide and meet;

Where thirsting longing eyes

Watch the slow door

That opening, letting in, lets out no more.

Yet come to me in dreams, that I may live

My very life again though cold in death:

Come back to me in dreams, that I may give

Pulse for pulse, breath for breath:

Speak low, lean low

As long ago, my love, how long ago.

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