Peter (Panagiotis) Tambakis passed away peacefully on December 9, 2022 at the age of 89 surrounded by his devoted wife, children and nephew Rev. Fr. Tambakis. He was a devoted husband to Pat (Panagiota) for over 64 years.
Peter is survived by his loving children Christos (Trista), and Katina (Bill); a cherished Papou to Adoni, Erasmia, Andreas and Aaron. He will be dearly missed by his sisters Eleni and Athena. He is predeceased by his brothers Demetrios Tambakis, Taso Tambakis, sister Matina Kolias, brother-in-law Peter Malandrakis and son-in-law Peter Wall. Peter will be lovingly remembered by many nieces, nephews and friends throughout Canada and Greece.
After completing school and serving in the Greek military, he met his wife-to-be Pat from the neighbouring village of Ligourio. They married in Greece and followed Peter’s brother Demetre to Canada in search of a better life.
After settling in Winnipeg, Peter began working with the GWG garment factory and eventually found a career as a meat cutter with Loblaws and Superstore. Mom and Dad started a family and subsequently moved to Westwood; settling on Twain Drive for 47 years. There, he turned his love of cars into the empire that was Panos Used Cars.
Papou loved spending time with his family. His grandchildren were the ultimate joy of his life. Papou loved to watch his grandkids in all their activities. His heart was full of pride having seen them grow to be outstanding young adults. He loved telling them stories of the old days and always had a joke on his lips.
Papou also loved tending to his garden and yard with Giagia. They would spend hours upon hours on their tomatoes, beans and cucumbers. The garden was the envy of everyone in the neighbourhood. Over the years, Dad grew the most amazing vine (klimataria) which was the focal point of his backyard patio. It provided cool shade and was “the” gathering place frequented by friends and family during warm summer days. At every opportunity he could find, he transplanted the vine cuttings to his children’s homes, the cottage, the neighbours…his memory will live on through these magnificent plants.
Papou and Giagia loved to travel. They refurbished campers and made trips with their friends to the Rockies many times. They also enjoyed many trips to Cuba, Hawaii, Mexico and Arizona. By far though, their summer highlight was when the kids left the cottage in Matlock unoccupied and ventured outdoors. They enjoyed their walks by the lake, sitting under the pine trees and — of course — sharing their love for gardening. Papou will always be remembered for his tremendous love for family, faith and friends.
Funeral service will be held on Friday, Dec 16th at 11:00 a.m. at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church. Coffee will be served in the church hall after interment. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.
10 thoughts on “Peter (Panagiotis) Tambakis”
Pat ,Chris and Katina I cincerelly pass my condolences to you all ,may God grant him with
Eternal life. May his memory be Eternal.Stay strong and sherish all your memories
Jim Tambakis
To the Tambakis family , we are so very sorry for your loss and are sending you our condolences and prayers .
Darryl and Cathy , Grace , Olivia ( friends from Matlock )
Katina and family,
We are very saddened for your families great loss. Sending our love, prayers and strength.
Love, The Berntt Family
I am so sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet him. I absolutely love my Tambakis family. And can’t wait to get back to Windsor to see Jim & Ernie ❤️‼️
My condolences to the family. May his memory be eternal.
Katina, I am so happy I got to meet your father. He was a proud man. I am so very sorry for your loss, my sincere condolences to your family.
Mrs Tambakis, Chris, Trista, Katina and all the grandchildren. Our sincerest condolences to you all on the passing of your husband, father and Papou. XO the Mulligans
We express our deepest condolences for your loss and offer our prayers. Peter will be dearly remembered at many family gatherings and vacations. May his memory be eternal (Eonia Eimnemi).
I met Peter at the home he staying at, which is the same as my grandmother, Georgina Mullin. I am from Calgary,Alberta and visited in the month of August for a week and spent my days in Winnipeg visiting my grandma there. Peter was my favourite man. I left the home crying every day because of how charismatic and loving he was. Whenever he saw me, he had this grin on his face and walked up to me. He loved to talk to me about his cars. I knew he loved cars and worked with them with how much detail he could remember. It was astounding! He also loved to talk to me about Greece, and quite often ended up speaking to me in Greek. He talked about all the lovely food their.
I know I only met Peter for a week, but week and months after I left, I always asked my grandpa to say hello to him for me. Last week I found out about his passing and I am here to say my condolences. He was a great man! May he Rest In Peace❤️
My prayers are with the entire Greek Community in loving memory of Fr. Tambakis’ extended family.