Peter Giannoulis

Peter Giannoulis of Regina and formerly of Yorkton, Saskatchewan passed away on Saturday, May 7, 2022 at the age of 64 years.

Panagiotis (Peter) Giannoulis, of Regina, Saskatchewan, and formerly of Yorkton, passed away on Saturday, May 7th, 2022, in Regina at the age of 64.

Peter was born on April 10th, 1958, to Stavros and Kalliopi Giannoulis in Elaiochori, Arcadia, Greece. Peter was the youngest of three children. At the age of 17, Peter, still a teenager, followed in his brother Lambros’ footsteps and immigrated to Canada with only “two dollars in his pocket” as he often said, to fulfill a lifelong passion of cooking.

Peter’s passion for cooking culminated into a long and successful 46-year career in the culinary industry. Peter started his young culinary career in Davidson, Saskatchewan, when he first arrived in Canada in the mid-1970’s. Peter also lived and worked in Regina and Melville before eventually settling in Yorkton which became his beloved home. Peter operated several restaurants throughout his life, including Houston Pizza and Harvest Pizza in Yorkton, where he spent twenty years as the owner and operator of the two restaurants. Peter made countless lifelong friends during his time at these two restaurants, and his devotion to the community was recognized in 2006 when Harvest Pizza was awarded the “Business of the Year” by the Yorkton Minor Hockey Association. Peter had also worked in Saltcoats, Saskatchewan as a cook at the Lakeside Manor Care Home. Peter’s most recent restaurant venture was the owner and operator of Harvest Place Restaurant in Raymore, Saskatchewan, where he truly enjoyed the small town life and made many new friends while living and working there who were very important to him. Peter also recently worked at the Copper Kettle Restaurant in Regina before retiring.

Peter was blessed with three children, Zachary, Alexandros and Elias. He was a loving father who worked hard to provide for his family and support them in all of their activities. Whether it was watching Zachary take part in a skateboarding competition, taking Alexandros to hockey or watching Elias win a cross-country race, Peter always made sure to be present in his son’s lives to support them. He was a role-model for his children who truly admired how hard he worked in his life to achieve the successes that he did.

Peter was the proud grandfather of Maverick and Leo. He loved spending time with his grandchildren and spoiling them with presents. Peter would never miss a holiday or birthday, and loved traveling to see his grandchildren on special events like Maverick’s birthday.

Although he left Greece at a young age, Peter’s love for his home country never went away and he returned to Greece several times throughout his life, often during Easter which was a very important event for Peter. Even when he wasn’t in Greece, Peter would often speak about the country. Peter also had a gifted singing voice for those lucky enough to hear him, and he loved to sing songs by George Dalaras and Dimitris Mitropanos.

Peter was a man of great faith. He regularly attended church in both Yorkton and Regina, and he previously served on the Community Council at Sts. Anargyroi Greek Orthodox Church in Yorkton.

Peter’s world changed forever on June 3rd, 2017, when his youngest child, Elias, passed away at the young age of 22. This loss deeply affected Peter but his faith carried him through the tragedy. Peter often visited Elias’ grave site in Yorkton which helped Peter cope with the immeasurable grief of losing a child. Peter was extremely proud of the annual Elias Giannoulis Memorial Hockey Tournament for Mental Health that provides funding for mental health initiatives in the Yorkton area and was very thankful to all of the organizers, volunteers and supporters who make this annual event happen. An annual highlight of Peter’s was presenting the trophy every year to the winning team, something he did again this year in Theodore, Saskatchewan on March 5th.

Peter was a lifelong sports fan, especially of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Regina Pats. Peter would regularly make the nearly 2-hour drive from Yorkton to Regina to cheer on his beloved Green and White as well as the Pats. He was also a Toronto Blue Jays fan, and if you ever rode in the same vehicle as Peter in the summertime, you would hear the very staticky radio feed of the Blue Jays radio broadcast on the Weyburn radio station. Peter was also a big fan of the Greek soccer club, Olympiakos FC, as well as the New Jersey Devils.

Peter was predeceased by his parent’s, Stavros and Kalliopi Giannoulis; his son, Elias; his brother, Lambros Yannoulis; and his beloved Golden Retriever, Jake.

Peter is survived by his son, Zachary (Karleigh); his son, Alexandros (Brooke) and their children, Maverick and Leo; his brother, Anastasios (Christina) and their children, Kalliopi and Stavros; his nephews, Michael, Steven, Jamie, Nathan and Caleb; his niece, Kalliopi; his loving partner, Nicole Krasiun and her children, Jade (KC), Teal, Carter and Carson Krasiun; and numerous cousins and extended family members.

Peter’s family would like to thank Father Spyridon Vandoros for his lifelong friendship to Peter as well as his spiritual support and guidance. Peter’s family would also like to thank the first responders from Regina EMS and Regina Police Service for their care and efforts, as well as everyone that has reached out to offer their condolences during this difficult time.

If you are thinking of a good way to remember Peter, consider doing one of his favourite activities like eating a Peanut Buster Parfait, drinking a cup of black coffee, eating a Spinach and Feta pizza, or playing a hand of Blackjack!

May his Memory be Eternal!
 

Prayers will be offered on Thursday, May 12, 2022 at 7:00 pm from Christie's Funeral Home in Yorkton.

A Funeral Service will be held for Peter on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 2:00 pm from Sts. Anargyroi Greek Orthodox Church in Yorkton.  

Both services will be livestreamed and accessible by clicking on the links below at service time. http://www.facebook.com/christiesfuneralhome

Interment will follow in the Yorkton City Cemetery.

A longer obituary will be posted here when available.  

Should friends so desire, in lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Peter may be made to Heart & Stroke Foundation.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Peter Giannoulis, please visit our floral store.