Damianoff
circa. 1927
'CP Lunch' on Runnymede just north of Dundas.
Dedo Pando and Baba Gena Damianoff with their 3 children - Vladimir (my dad), Krsto, and Nadejda.
Courtesy of Marina Damianoff Wegner
My father's family - Damianoff/Stoyanchin - is from Prekopana (Perikopi today).
My mother's family - Papaiouannou/Kyrou - is from Zhelevo (Antartiko today).
Dedo Pando Damianoff Stoyanchin emigrated from Macedonia/Turkey to Toronto in 1914, followed by Baba Gena Nikoloff Chungaroff about six years later. My father and his siblings were all born on Maria Street in Toronto.
Dedo Nauom Kyrou emigrated from Macedonia/Greece to Toronto in 1922, followed by Baba Lena Papaiouannou Kyrou and my mother in 1932. My mother was born in Zhelevo; however her two younger brothers were born in Toronto.
The Damianoff's lived on Maria St., Glendale Ave., High Park Ave., and then out to Etobicoke in the 1950's.
The Kyrou's lived on Niagara St., and then to Quebec Ave. in the 1930's.
The Kyrou's also had a restaurant on St. Clair Ave. east of Old Weston Rd., but I do not have any photographs and cannot remember the name. I do remember going there as a young child.
The Damianoff's had many restaurants over the years. The last one was on the north side of the Queensway opposite the Ontario Food Terminal. Dedo Pando did not retire until he was close to 80, and lived to 104.
Both of my grandmothers worked side-by-side with my grandfathers throughout their restaurant careers.
My father and mother's generation had already become Canadianized and wanted nothing to do with the restaurant business, after having worked in them since they were small children. My father and his brother were both in the Canadian Navy. They all became professionals, leaving behind 'The Men in White Aprons'. Only my father and his sister married Macedonians. I grew up on Glendale Ave. in Parkdale, and lived there for 18 years. All my first cousins, but one, married other nationalities - German, Canadian, Polish.
We are all becoming part of the large melting pot of North America. My grandchildren were born in Toronto to a Macedonian/German father (born in Toronto) and a Norwegian/English mother (born in New Zealand). If you want to trace your roots, now is the time.
As a side note - if anyone asks me what nationality I am - I always say 'Macedonian', even though I was born in Toronto as was my father. There is some kind of connection that I can't describe. You can change a political border, but you cannot change the people.
Marina Damianoff Wegner