Angelos Marinakis

Angelos was the third of four children born to parents Dionysios and Elpiniki Marinakis, on the Greek island of Kefalonia. After the early passing of his older brother Gerasimos in 1946 and his father in 1949, he became devoted to the care and well being of his family. He excelled at academics and graduated with a Law degree from the University of Athens in 1955 and then later served as an officer in the Greek Navy. In the late 1950’s he emigrated to Canada, joining his younger brother Ray and his Uncle Gus Razis in Vancouver. He loved his new country, studied English and graduated with a second Law degree from UBC in 1962. During this time he returned to Greece to marry his first wife, Eleni and bring her to Canada. They started a family and worked tirelessly these first challenging years, while raising their two daughters, Marousa and Elpie.

Angelos was called to the bar in 1963 and began his career as a lawyer at Shulman Tupper & Co. In 1968 he purchased the practice of Judge ‘Babe’ Oreck and for over 30 years he shared an office with colleague Max Osten and his son, Bill. Marinakis & Company was born and in 1973 Mike Frank joined the firm, followed later by Mark Ferbers. Angelos loved being a lawyer and cared deeply for his clients, many of whom became his lifelong friends. He developed an interest in real estate investment through an early part time job as a realtor and through his work as a solicitor.

After his divorce, he met his second wife Gayle and her son Dana in 1979. Angelos and Gayle were married in 1981, and for many years shared a mutual love for travel and spending time with close friends, before parting ways in 2013.

Angelos was one of the founders of St George’s Greek Orthodox Church and provided legal counsel for the Church throughout his career. He was a contributing member of the BC Law Society and taught classes in the Professional Law Training Course. He enjoyed supporting the Vancouver Hellenic Community and was proud of being a founding member of the Kefalonian Society. He was a three-time cancer survivor and supporter of the BC Cancer Foundation.

Angelos was a big hearted, kind, generous and loving person. He was a man of great integrity, a deeply loyal friend and a consummate gentleman – his handshake was his bond. He had a zest for life and was known for his genuine smile and heartfelt hugs. He loved studying French, skiing, horse back riding, wine-making, biking and later in life, golfing – especially with his grandsons. He traveled extensively, and particularly loved spending Septembers in Kefalonia, enjoying time with his cousins and close friends in Greece. Angelos always faced the challenges in his life with remarkable courage and resilience, and was an inspiration to many. He was a very loving father and grandfather, who valued his family above all else.

He passed away peacefully on November 3rd, surrounded by his loving family. He will be deeply missed by his daughters Marousa and Elpie, son Dana, sons-in-law Joel and Steven, daughter-in-law Stacey, his beloved grandchildren Josh, Eleni, Patrick, Elijah and Eden, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to say a special thank you to all the wonderful doctors and nurses at Richmond Hospital, his devoted home caregivers including Deadra, Iris, Rosemarie and Genna, Dr James McCreary and Dr Philip Lee for their excellent care, support and kindness.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Vancouver Hellenic Community, https://helleniccommunity.org/donate/ or the BC Alzheimer’s Society, https://alzheimer.ca/bc/en/take-action/donate

A Memorial Service will be held at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church, 4500 Arbutus Street at 1:00pm on Tuesday, November 16th, followed by the burial at Mountain View Cemetery at 33rd and Fraser. A Celebration of Life reception will take place afterwards at the Mountain View Memorial Hall.