Nicholas Marinatos was born in Agri­gnion, Greece. He was the eldest son of Dimitra and Gerassimos Marinatos. Nicholas’s brother Peter lives in Athens and brother Alexis in Toronto.

Nicholas studied medicine in Athens and went on to specialize in general and thoracic surgery in England. In 1966 he immigrated to Canada and worked at St. Paul’s Hospital before moving to Lions Gate Hospital, where he worked as a surgeon for 34 years.

I joined Dr Marinatos in 1973 and together we provided a vascular surgery service for the hospital over the subsequent 30 years. When the specialty of vascular surgery was established in 1983, we did our examinations together and worked together on our patients. Nicholas was well respected for his clinical acumen and surgical skills and had a very busy practice. He was equally sought after by his friends for personal advice and help. Among his colleagues, he was always the centre of attention with his humor and stories.

He had a wide array of other interests, which included boating, photo­graphy, and music. He was an avid reader.

Retirement was great and he enjoyed every year of it. He returned to Kefallonia, where his father was born, and built a summer home there. He very much enjoyed the last summers of his life there as well as traveling throughout Europe.

Nicholas devoted his life to his family and his patients. He leaves behind his wife Ghislaine, his stepsons David and Jean-Francois, his daughter-in-law Lori, and his beloved granddaughters Claire and Sophie.

Nicholas’s battle with cancer was a brave one. He was always positive and never complained. He died in Lions Gate Hospital where he had spent most of his life and where he was surrounded by his family and friends. We will miss him.

—Anthony Chan, MBBS
Duncan