The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist

(“St. John’s Cathedral”), 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 Conservation Easement

Brown’s Lake, Rural Municipality of Corman Park

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

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

Art contributed to church…

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 building 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: 21^st 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

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.