Kyriakos Vogiatzakis remembered as generous and passionate during vigil

A beloved member of both the St. James and Greek communities of Winnipeg was remembered Sunday evening.

Hundreds of supporters with lit candles gathered in theparking lot of the Cork & Flame restaurant for a vigil, paying respectsto owner KyriakosVogiatzakis.

The 51-year-oldVogiatzakisdied on Jan. 24following a confrontation with another man outside thePortage Avenue business.

Curtis Ross Dalebozik, 38, is charged with manslaughter. Winnipeg police have said he was known to loiter around the restaurant, although it's not known how many times he and Kyriakosmight have interacted before Wednesday.

Tina Fulcherwent to school with one of Vogiatzakis' older brothers, and knew him for more than 40 years, often visiting himat Cork & Flame.

She called him a close family friend, anactive churchmember and important member of the Greek community.

Fulcher is still in disbelief over his death.

"This is a shock. It's unnecessary and I'm glad people are here to commemorate his memory,"she said astears welled in her eyes, adding shewillremember his smile, generosity and kindness.

"He had a golden heart."

Vogiatzakisdonated an estimated 300 baskets for a food drive for families in need during last year's Christmas holidays, Fulcher said.

MikeVogiatzakis, one of Kyriakos' three older brothers, echoed that description ofKyriakos' heart.

"He had passion for people. He was the most kindest, most amazing guy you could ever meet in your life. He would give the shirt off his back if he saw somebody that was struggling."

Kyriakoswas acharacter who liked to playpractical jokes and could be defined by three things: community, love and family, Mike said.

"He treated everybody as family. He was a guy that just had a range of passion in his soul and I don't think there will be another person like him again," Mike said."He was an angel."

The outpouring of support for theVogiatzakisfamily has been incredible, Mike added.

"It's been overwhelming. People have touched our hearts in so many different ways."

Despite the swath of public support, the past few days have been devastating for the familyand filled with anger, Mike said.

"You go through all the emotions ... and you just try to find a reasoning on why something like this would happen, why somebody would take your younger brother's life when he's at work and minding his own business," Mike said.

In particular, their mother has had a difficult time digesting what happened to the youngest of her four sons, Mike said.

"My mom is really struggling. My mom is going to bury her son, her youngest son, and that's not fair. Nobody deserves to die alone and my brother did,"Mike said.

"Nobody deserves this senseless violence in the city of Winnipeg."

The next few days will be filled with final preparations for the funeral and Mike knows it won't be easy. But he and his family appreciate all the support.

"It's love that gets us through things like this," he said."This is love when you see people coming and supporting a family that is grieving."

"It's love that gets us through things like this," he said."This is love when you see people coming and supporting a family that is grieving."

A prayer will be held atSaint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The funeral will be held at the church Wednesday at 11 a.m., with the burial later that afternoonat the Glen Eden Funeral Home & Cemetery in West St. Paul.