Obituary of Constantin (Stan) Panaïoti

CONSTANTIN (STAN) PANAÏOTI

1928 – 2017

Constantin passed away unexpectedly, yet peacefully in North York on Saturday, July 8, 2017, only six days before his 89th birthday.

He will be deeply missed by Thérèse, his wife of 59 years, his three children Hélène, Michel (Rowena Verney), and Christine, his siblings Vera and Demetrius (Sally Brown), his grand-children Antoine, Thomas, Juliette, Caroline, Christopher, and Nicola, his great-grand-children Lhassa, and Alexander, as well as several nieces, nephews, and friends.  He was predeceased by his sister Hélène.  He was loved by all; his memory will be cherished for generations to come.

Constantin was born and raised in the French Concession of Shanghai, where his parents had escaped from Russia in the early twenties.  A Greek merchant having immigrated to Tsarist Russia as a youth, his father Athanasios fled to China with his Latvian wife Lina as the Red Army gained in power.  At age 21, Constantin was awarded an Engineering degree by Aurora University, Shanghai.  He then moved to Paris, where he went on to earn a Masters of Engineering at the École nationale supérieure du pétrole, before seeking out a country to call home for himself and his family, who were yet again on the run after China turned Maoist.  He settled in Montreal in 1951, and quickly established himself as a professional engineer.  He endeavoured to secure residency in Canada for his parents and youngest sister Vera, who arrived in 1956 and established themselves in Vancouver.

By then, Constantin (now known as ‘Stan’ by his anglophone colleagues) was a plant manager with ERCO, a British-owned multinational corporation in the petro-chemical industry.

The following year, he met the love of his life, Thérèse Trottier, a registered nurse from Montreal.  Married in 1958, Constantin and Thérèse raised their three children in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario before settling definitely in Toronto in 1977.  As a senior executive with ERCO, he travelled far and wide.  He was respected and appreciated by his staff, peers, and superiors.

Stan retired at 62-years of age to dedicate himself to family, travel, and intellectual pursuits.  His interests spanned history, economics, politics, philosophy, and environmental issues, to which his years of service in the petro-chemical industry had made him particularly sensitive.  His thirst for learning was insatiable.  Up to his final days, nothing gave him greater pleasure than engaging in thorough debate, allowing him to tap into a broad reserve of knowledge and make creative use of his sharp analytical mind.

The family will receive friends at the HUMPHREY FUNERAL HOME A.W. MILES – NEWBIGGING CHAPEL, 1403 Bayview Avenue (south of Davisville Avenue) on Friday, July 14th from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.  A Funeral Mass will be held in BLESSED TRINITY CHURCH, 3220 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, on Saturday, July 15, at 10:00 a.m.  A commemorative service will also be held in Montréal, in mid- September (date and place to be confirmed).

In memoriam, donations may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation. The family would like to acknowledge the excellent care and counsel provided over the years by Constantin’s family doctor, Dr. Nikolaos Anagnostopoulos, and cardiologist, Dr. Bruce Lubelsky.

Condolences, photographs and memories may be forwarded through www.humphreymilesnewbigging.com.