Katina Kanavaros was born in Laconia, Greece on December 15, 1925. She passed away on January 28, 2015 in Vancouver, B.C.

She is survived by her daughter, Konstantina Apostle; granddaughters Carol Taricco, Katina Mall and Niki Apostle; grandsons-in-law Steven Taricco and William Mall; and her cherished Great-Grandchildren Nicholas and Alexia Zambos and Sophia Mall; and so many loving relatives and friends from Greece, Vancouver and Long Beach.

Katina grew up in Pakia, Greece, the only child of Giorgo and Marigo Veli.  She endured many great losses in her life, the first being her father at a very young age.  Katina married Nikolaos Kanavaros in 1942 and became a widow in 1944 after her husband was killed in the Greek civil war.  The following years were spent raising her daughter in Greece, and they eventually immigrated to Canada with extended family in 1955.  She spent the next decades in Canada, Michigan and Greece, always making the best of things after the many tragedies she endured.  She considered her cousins and extended family her brothers and sisters, and always nurtured and maintained that love and those relationships through many visits, letters, and phone calls. She was a constant part of her daughter Tina's life as her grandchildren were born, with extended stays in Michigan and then in California.

"We are not all capable of great things, but we can do small things with great love."

This best describes Katina, for she led a very simple life, with few belongings and material possessions.  Her treasures were her family and the people she loved, evidenced by the mountains of photographs she kept in her humble home.  There she kept the wealth of memories that she loved to reflect upon.  Many of those photographs were of the times spent in small villages in Greece while swimming in the sea and working in the garden; at many tables filled with bountiful displays of food she lovingly prepared; with the many cousins and friends that were scattered across two continents; and photographs that captured every moment of her daughter, granddaughters and great-grandchildrens' lives.

Katina was a legendary cook, and she had almost as many photographs of her culinary talents as of people.  There were hundreds of photographs of her famous tsourekia, baklava, and homemade filo pies.  This is how she shared her wealth with everyone she loved.  She was the consummate hostess, no one ever left her presence without being fed and pampered.  Even at the very end of her life, she kept bags of treats in her nightstand so that she could keep the candy dish by her bedside filled for visitors and her caretakers.

No one ever left Katina's presence without a gift. She taught us all with examples of strength, endurance, and love that knew no bounds.  Her faith in God and the Orthodox Church was unwavering and sustained her until the end.

Anecdotes about Yiayia Katina

Bargaining with God – she made us take jewelry to Tinos after her prayers were answered and her illness subsided.

Too much tsourekia – her zeal for cooking, especially the traditional holiday goodies, often times left us with plenty to give away.  Except this one time we gave our bounty of tsourekia to the birds in the backyard, and it just so happened she stopped by for a visit that day... it wasn't a good day.

Paradoxical Fashion Police – "Her dress is too short, she looks cheap, but that one over there, her dress could be shorter, she has the legs for it."

Airplanes – she loved to fly, and even more than flying, she loved the "food" on the plane, you would have thought the way she raved about her experience on the flight (every single time she flew by the way, well, except the one time she called the flight attendant a "manga pousti"), that she owned a G-6 with Anthony Bourdain on chef duty.

She only ate "half" portions – Yiayia Katina was constantly asking for a half portion, although she wasn't fooling any of us, she was the biggest foodie in the family.  Four halves add up to one, right?

Sickness couldn't stop her from sharing her love – for Nick's 31st birthday, and as a congratulatory effort on Alexia's new job, our Yiayia Katina sent us each a card, with a nice little hand written note, and a crisp $100 bill for each us. At this time, she was in a hospital bed in Vancouver, yet somehow managed to make this special surprise happen.  This is something she always did for us throughout our lives, but continuing with it even in sickness made this time, her last time, so special and impactful.

Trisagion services will be held at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in Long Beach on Wednesday February 4, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.  Funeral services are Thursday, February 5, at 10:00 a.m. at the Assumption Church in Long Beach; immediately following the funeral services the family invites you to a luncheon at the home of Steve and Carol Taricco.  Burial service will take place later in the afternoon at Forest Lawn in Cypress and we welcome anyone that wishes to attend.

Arrangements under the direction of Chapman Funeral Homes - Terry & Mary Harmon, Funeral Directors. Toll free (855) 628-0447.

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Obituary notice for Chapman Funeral Homes. Please visit www.chapmanfuneraldirectors.com .

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