Nick THEMELIS
Nick was born on December 21st, 1945, and raised in Ierapetra, Crete, Greece. In his early years he worked on the family farm, held various construction jobs and served three years in the Greek military. In 1971 he decided to join his brother, Markos, in Canada. Nick came to Canada with very limited knowledge of the English language.
Upon his arrival, he was immediately introduced to snow and cold, and he never got used to Canadian winters. He joined his brother in Pine Point, a mining town in the NW Territories where he obtained a job as a painter.
Nick spent several years in Pine Point before moving his wife and first son, George, to Edmonton. He attended NAIT to become a certified painter and started his own painting company, Safeside Enterprises Inc. His second son, Tony, was born in Edmonton.
Nick met Lorna in February 1991, and they were married in April 1993. Nick continued to paint and in 1999 he switched his focus to owning and managing ATM machines until his unfortunate stroke forced him into retirement in 2012.
Nick loved spending time with his family and friends. He especially enjoyed a good meal with good company and a nice glass of wine. He had many interests and enjoyed bowling, fishing, hunting, gardening and sitting around a bonfire.
Nick also had a passion for traveling. Nick and Lorna enjoyed traveling and visited many countries together. Their travels took them to Greece, Turkey, Egypt and the Netherlands as well as road trips in Canada and the States. In later years they embarked on new adventures at sea and enjoyed more than 20 cruises together.
Nick is survived by his loving wife, Lorna and his sons George Themelis and Tony (Charity) Themelis, his stepchildren Lorelei Marks, Randy Marks and Nicole Ekman, his grandchildren Tyler (Raylene) Marks, Jessica Woodward, Zachary Marks, Kira (Catlin) Robichaud, Alaina Ekman, Ashley Aragon, Brooke Moore and great grandchildren Kyler, Felix, Gracelyn and Dominic.
Nick was predeceased by his parents, Georgios and Kyriaki Themelis and his brothers: Nikolaos Themelis, Markos Themelis and Yiannis Themelis.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Nick’s memory may be made to the Heart and Stoke Foundation https://app-hsfdonation.heartandstroke.ca/?pagename=DMDonationForm&s_locale=en_CA&s_fT=cont&s_pres=hsweb&s_cscid=hsweb_nav
A memorial service for Nick will be held Wednesday, December 4, 2024 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Hellenic Community Centre, 10450 116 St NW, Edmonton, AB.
To livestream the service please join the following link
Pointe West Funeral
December 4, 2024
7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (MST)
So Long Nick. I will always remember your zest for life, and your urge to find something to do. Many Fond Memories. Im glad you became a part of our Family,
My sincere condolences, wish I lived closer to give you a hug dear cousin.
So sorry for the loss of our Koumbaro and family friend. Our thoughts and condolences are with you and the entire family.
-Family Arnidis
My deepest condolences to the family. May his memory be eternal..
Lorna, I am so sorry to hear of Nick’s passing. May you find peace at this time. My prayers are with you.
Much love – Debbie Scroggs
Our sincere condolences to the family.
May his memory be eternal.
So long my friend , before I met you in 1999 I was warned that you were a bit of a loose cannon and a little opinionated. And yes I found out that was true (but in a good way). We hit it off right away partly because we both had construction backgrounds (you the painter , me the carpenter) but had both got involved in the new ATM industry . I have always had great respect for you , coming to a new country barely speaking any English and being able to be your own man while building different business . You were definitely 1 of a kind Nick . Safe travels til we meet again!!!
Nick came into our lives in the early 90’s. He brought love, laughter and adventure with him .He soon became a part of the family and forever our Pappou. Always ready with a joke, a story, a meal or a project.
In the early 2000’s we took the journey to Crete with him to visit his hometown Ireapitra, and to meet his family there. He was very proud to share his home and culture with us, and we were honored to have this experience with him. During our visit he introduced us to many amazing people, showed us beautiful sites and helped create many once in a lifetime memories
Through the years he continued to share and create many more great memories with his family whether it was fishing, camping or a warming visit around a fire. These warm memories will always fondly stay with us.
When Pappou had his stroke we were all devastated, but due to his strong will and determination we still had our Pappou. He did his best to not let it take away from his love, laughter and adventure. The years got harder and his body would not cooperate with him, but he still brought joy to all who loved him. He has left us with too many memories to share with you all here today.
There will always be an empty space at our family holidays and gatherings, and in our hearts. We loved him and will miss dearly, until it is our time to see him again. If love could have kept him here he would have stayed forever.
Love Lorelei, Jessica, Tyler and Raylene