The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist

(“St. John’s Cathedral”)

816 Spadina Crescent East, Saskatoon

Geatros Family, Saskatoon (ca. 1940s)
Source: Pontikes Family Photographs Collection

In memory of William L. Geatros (former owner of the Ritz Hotel) who died in 1949, his wife Eftyhia (Effie) and his daughters Helen, Diane, and Mary donated the stained-glass window at the west end and behind the baptismal font of St. John’s Cathedral in Saskatoon. The window is titled, “Christ Blessing the Children”. The donation was made in 1959.

Peter and Lola Pontikes Conservation Easement

Brown’s Lake, Rural Municipality of Corman Park

Peter and Lola Pontikes (ca 1949)
Source: Pontikes Family

The City of Saskatoon has designated Blocks 33 and 69 within Woodlawn Cemetery for the interment and memorialization of people associated with Saskatoon’s Greek Community.  Click on the following link to view a map of the Cemetery and the locations of Blocks 33 and 69: Woodlawn Cemetery Map Blocks 33 an 69

The first burials of  members of the Greek Community were in Block 33.  The area is part of a larger non-Greek burial ground and is distinguished by the configuration of the graves.  While non-Greek graves in Block 33 are organized in north-south rows, the Greek burials are east-west (with the memorial facing east).  This practice is based on biblical teachings about the Second Coming of Christ who will come from the east.  The positioning of the dead, with their feet facing east, makes them ready to rise from their graves and greet Him, face-to-face, upon His return.

Block 33, where the first burials of members of Saskatoon’s Greek Community occurred

The first burial of a member of the Saskatoon Greek Community was Andreen Anton in September of 1919.  Andreen was killed in a duck-hunting accident.

During the period between 1919 and 1939, 16 burials occurred in the Greek Section of Block 33.  Woodlawn Cemetery’s records indicate that 2 teenagers (Efthemios Barootes and Penelope Kallops) and 6 adults (Andreen Anton, George Chronis, Minnie Karamanos, Letty Michas,  Angelo Pappas, and James Scarlatos) are buried in this area.  The remaining burials consist of 3 children under the age of one year and 5 stillborn babies.

The City of Saskatoon restricted burials in Block 33 to members of the “Greek colony”.  Each burial required authorization by the colony and initially, this occurred through the Saskatoon Greek Society which was established during the 1920s.  Many of the initial burials were authorized by the first president of the Society, George Chronis. Ironically, Mr. Chronis was buried in Block 33 following his death in 1929.

Today, most of the graves in Block 33 are unmarked.  It is not certain whether they were originally not marked, or whether they had wooden markers or other types of markers which were subsequently damaged and removed.  The currently visible memorial stone markers in Block 33 are for Effie Barootes (1921 – 1937), George Chronis (1894 – 1929), Baby Albert Girgulis (1936 – 1937), Letty Michas (1899 – 1936), Penelope Kallops (1914 – 1931), and Baby George Serif (1920).

In July 1939, Tony Varvis died and was buried in a new open area in the Cemetery now identified as Block 69.  Tony had been the head chef at the Elite Cafe and the owners of the restaurant, the Girgulis brothers, chose and paid for Tony’s  grave site. The monument includes the logo of the Order of Ahepa; it is not known whether this logo honours Tony’s involvement in the Order  and/or whether the  local chapter contributed towards the cost of the monument.

There is no information available as to why this location for Tony’s grave was chosen and became the first within what would become known as  the Greek Section (Block 69).  Nevertheless, subsequent deaths resulted in the remains of local Greeks  being buried near the Varvis grave.   Thomas D. Smith, who died in September 1939, was buried in the next row immediately to the west of Tony Varvis.  George Matheos died in September 1940 and was buried in the same row next to Tony Varvis. John Gekas, who died in April 1941, was buried next to George Matheos and James Smith (Thomas D. Smith’s son), who died in July 1942, was buried next to John Gekas.

Block 69, where the remains of members of members of Saskatoon’s Greek Community who died from 1939 to the present are buried

While  not formally recognized in the City’s bylaws, the two Greek Sections of Woodlawn Cemetery were established through the support of the municipality’s administration which kept the spaces available for future burials of members of Saskatoon’s Greek families.  Today, the Block 69 (photos below)  continues to be the preferred burial ground for the local Greek community.  A stroll among the grave markers in Blocks 33 and 69 of Woodlawn Cemetery provide a reminder of the people who established this community and honours their contributions to our city.

Researched and written by Ken Pontikes, October 6, 2025.

Sources:  Woodlawn Cemetery website; City of Saskatoon Archives

Hoidas Lake – Northern Saskatchewan

Hoidas Lake in northern Saskatchewan was named as a memorial to Irvin Frank Hoidas who was born in Winnipeg, but attended elementary and high school in Saskatoon and was enrolled in the aerial navigation program at the University of Saskatchewan. Irvin was the son of Frank Hoidas who was born in Tripoli, Greece.

Irvin enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in October 1940 and was sent to Europe. He achieved the rank of pilot officer.

On May 22, 1942, Irvin’s parents were advised that their son was missing in active service as an observer on a night bombing raid over enemy territory in Belgium. His plane which had a crew of seven had not returned to its base. Enquiries about their fate were made through the International Red Cross Society. In November, confirmation was received that all crew members, of which three (including Frank) were Canadian, had been killed when the aircraft was hit by an incendiary bomb while in the air. The damage caused by the bomb resulted in the plane crashing to the ground.

Frank’s remains are buried at the Heverlee Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Leuven, Belgium.

Researched by Ken Pontikes, July 23, 2023

Kortes Lake – Northern Saskatchewan

Kortes Lake in northern Saskatchewan was named as a memorial to George John Paul Kortes who born in Moose Jaw, but who moved to Saskatoon with his parents in 1933. He attended Nutana Collegiate in Saskatoon.

George enlisted with the Canadian Army in 1939 and was sent to Europe. He was a gunner with the Canadian Army. He died of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in Holland, while performing military duties on April 17, 1945. He is buried in Groesbeck Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands.

At the time of his death, George was survived by his parents, his wife (Mary Anna Kortes), and his daughter (Barbara Geil Kortes) who were living in Saskatoon.

Researched by Ken Pontikes, July 23, 2023

St. George’s Anglican Church
624 Avenue I South, Saskatoon

A belief in miracles by two grateful Saskatoon parents sparked the gift of an artwork to a Saskatoon church. Sunday, Bishop S. Steer conducted a dedication service at St. George’s Anglican Church, when a painting of the church’s patron saint was presented by Mr. and Mrs. Steve Stefanidis of 712 Ave. I South.

The couple had commissioned the work to be done at a Greek Orthodox church monastery in their native Greece. It was presented in appreciation of what Mrs. Stefanidis termed the miraculous recovery of her eldest son, Charlie, 14, from the effects of severe scalding from spilled hot coffee.

The painting of St. George and the dragon will be hung against a prepared background at the rear of the recently completed sanctuary.

The work has been called an excellent example of a modern adaptation of the Byzantine traditional style, common in the 13th century. At that time, it was customary for a senior craftsman in the monastery to sketch the design, do the main features such as head and hands, and delegate the balance of the work, under supervision, to others in the monastery.

Mrs. Stefanidis says she and her husband had watched the building of the new sanctuary and wished to help in some way which would show their gratitude for the recovery of their son. They decided a painting of the church’s patron saint would be a suitable and lasting tribute.

It is also a symbol of ecumenism at work, for the family are members of the Greek Orthodox Church but attend St. George’s when there is no service at their own church.

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, December 19, 1966, p. 17.

Leakos Field
Gordon Howe Sports Complex, Saskatoon

In 1984, Saskatoon’s City Council approved renaming Fastball Field No. 2 in the Gordon Howe Sports Complex to Leakos Field.  This recognized the contributions of Steve and Spero Leakos to the sports life of Saskatoon through their involvement in the Commodores baseball team and the Saskatoon Quakers hockey team.

In a profile of Spero Leakos, Greg Brons, Baseball Sask’s high performance director, spoke about Spero’s modesty in having the field named after him and his dad:

“He would never call it ‘Leakos Field’.  He would always say, ‘Oh it’s over on that other field”.

“I’d say, ‘You mean Leakos Field?’

[And Spero would reply]: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, Whatever.”

“I always loved that about him.  He was just a humble guy, you know?”

Spero was inducted in 1986 into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame as a builder in the sport of baseball.

Researched by:  Ken Pontikes, September 26, 2023

Sources:  Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, April 11, 1984, p. 33; and March 10, 2020, p. B1.

Legends Downtown Saskatoon Project

Pocket Park:  Twenty-first Street East between First and Second Avenues

Each September, Saskatoon’s Downtown Business Improvement District (DTN/YXE) Saskatoon unveils a plaque to honour people who contributed to the historic vibrancy of our city’s Downtown district and to an awareness of our civic pride.  The plaques are installed on a wall located where the former Ritz Hotel and Café stood until 1987.

On September 24, 2021, a plaque was unveiled to remember and honour Bill (“Vasilis”) and Effie (“Eftyhia”) Geatros (“Iatridis”) as Saskatoon Downtown Legends.

Bill and Effie Geatros’ nephews and nieces who attended the unveiling of the Legends plaque — Ken Pontikes, George Foufas, Stella Spanos, JoAnne Chrones, and Zoë Pontikes

Museum of Antiquities, University of Saskatchewan
Sleeping Hermaphrodite

The Museum of Antiquities is located in the Peter Mackinnon Building at the University of Saskatchewan.  Founded in 1975, the Museum houses over 1,000 artifacts and replicas from the ancient and medieval world.

Among its collection is a 3D-printed replica of the Roman sculpture, “Sleeping Hermaphrodite”, which was purchased with a generous financial donation from the estate of Cleo Girgulis.  The sculpture, which is made of resin and painted to look like marble,  is a replica of the original located at the Louvre in Paris, France.

Photo Source:  Ken Pontikes, November 14, 2025

The original marble sculpture was made in 100 – 150 CE and was inspired by a 4^th century BCE work of a Greek artist.  The Greek sculpture was copied extensively by the Romans. The copy in the Louvre is the most famous.  In the early 1600s, an Italian sculptor, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, created the mattress on which the marble figure lies.

Through this sculpture, ancient Greek and Roman mythology can be explored.  As well, it is an example of how gender and sexuality are represented in ancient art.

Summarized from an article by Shannon Boklaschuk, “Museum of Antiquities acquires replica of Sleeping Hermaphrodite sculpture”, College of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan, June 20, 2022.

Next-of-Kin Memorial Avenue

Woodlawn Cemetery

Second Avenue North, Saskatoon

Next-of-Kin Memorial Avenue was established within Saskatoon’s Woodlawn Cemetery in 1922-23 by the military chapter of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire. Trees were dedicated along a “road of remembrance” which begins at the entrance and carries on through the Cemetery to the Soldiers Memorial. Plaques were installed next to each tree in memory of soldiers who died in several international conflicts, including the Boer War, First and Second World Wars, and Korean War.  Each tree and plaque was financed by a friend or relative. Next-of-Kin Memorial Avenue in Saskatoon is a National Historic Site and as a road of remembrance, is the only such war memorial that still exists in Canada.

 Two plaques are of relevance to Saskatoon’s Greek Community. The first is a tree and plaque (located adjacent to the Cemetery’s Greek Section) in memory of George J. P. Kortes who was killed in Holland, at the age of 26, during the Second World War. The second is a tree and plaque (located at the front entrance to the Cemetery) donated by the Golf Brothers (Gus and Bill) in memory of “our Greek Compatriots who gave their lives” in the First World War.