Obituary of Dr. Ioan Nicodim Siara

 It is with profound sadness that the family of Dr. Ioan Siara announce his peaceful passing at the Hospice of Windsor at the age of 82. As the true warrior that he was, he fiercely battled cancer over a span of 23 years, never having once complained of his difficult journey. Elated to be reunited with the love of his life, Dr. Carmen Siara (2022), with whom he shared nearly 49 years of marriage. Cherished and proud father of Dr. Monique Siara (Dr. John Selim), Dr. Nicole Siara-Olds (Dr. Steven Olds) and Dr. Laura Adams (Dr. Andrew Adams). Adored Bucu to his grandchildren Pierce, Anson, Sienna, Charlotte and Emily as well as Oskey, his fur grandbaby. Reunited with his beloved parents Nicodim and Ana Siara and in-laws Petre and Maria Tudorache. Beloved brother of Ana (Nutica) Varna (late Aurel) and the late infant Nicolae. Treasured uncle to Anca (Mircea) and Alexandra Vlaicu, all of Timișoara. Dearest cousin of Dr. Doina Costea (late Dr. Emil Cordos) and late Bubu of Cluj-Napoca. Predeceased by loved cousin Eugene (late Aurelia) Siara and dearest uncle to Susie (Mircea) Vasu of Ohio. Brother-in-law to the Tudorache family: late Dr. Mircea (Epi), Mike (Sarah) and Dr. Annie. Fondly remembered by nieces and nephews Dr. Nancy, Vincent and Chris Tudorache, Frances Boucher and their families. Also reunited with cherished family caregiver Mariette Quenneville. He will be deeply missed by Gabi (Anca) Niculae and family as well as in-laws the Selim, Olds and McGowan families. Ioan will be forever missed by his golf buddies Dr. Walter Friedl (Brenda), Dr. Warren Carr (Diana), Dr. Bob Voth (Elvera), Jack Jorgensen, Carl Hooper, Rick VanHooren (Angie) and Ken Rohaly. Special thanks to devoted friends, Dinescu, Halmaghi, Teodorescu, Zamfir, Bartoi, Opincariu, Pronovost, Calugar, Popescu, Lupu, Stoyshin, Stasko, Ranieri, Ruskin and Russo families. Will be missed by his former dedicated staff Elaine Pasma, Sophie Konstantinou and Suzana Sfetkidis as well as his newest dear friend Raj Patel.

Ioan began his life journey with a big dream, in the small town of Vințu de Jos in Transylvania, Romania. He truly embodied the “American Dream” having started with nothing and together with our mother built a small empire. He was born during the tumultuous times of World War II, which may have sparked his fighting spirit. He attended high school in Alba Iulia and obtained his degree in Physics from the Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca in 1965. Ioan was then hired at the Institute of Atomic Physics in Cluj, which was highly unusual for someone with only an undergraduate degree. On a whim he applied to the University of Windsor Ph.D. Program, which at that time was one of North America’s leading centres in Atomic Physics, after he saw the ad in a scientific journal. He was accepted by Dr. Krause and in August 1969 he came to Canada on a Student’s Visa. He was welcomed with open arms by the Opincarius, who instantly became family to him.

In 1971, Ioan met his one true love, Carmen, who instantly changed his life trajectory. He became her beloved “Johnny” when they married on November 24, 1973, and subsequently became known as “John” to many. Falling in love with our mother upended his plans of returning to Romania with his new Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Physics (1972). He enjoyed his life as a postdoctoral fellow at the U of W with his colleagues and friends Dr. Brian Atkinson and Dr. Robert Kent but once he realized that he was unlikely to become a Nobel Prize Laureate, he too decided to further his education. After being accepted to both McMaster University Medical School and University of Western Ontario School of Dentistry, he decided on the one that was quicker and closer to home. In 1977 at the age of 34 our dad made the brave move to London, Ontario to become a dentist. For the next four years he was a student in London on weekdays and a father and husband in Windsor every weekend. His roommate Dr. Mario DiPonio and friends Dr. Denis Dwyer and Dr. Paul Demarco can attest that while they partied in London with friends, our dad tended to his family, a true testament of the man that he was. In 1981 he graduated and started working as an associate for Dr. Joe Stasko and Dr. Art Stoyshin, who along with their families became wonderful lifelong friends. He then went on to join the late Dr. Ed Mazak, whose practice he eventually took over in 1994. He was a talented, well respected and very much loved dentist, colleague and boss for 21 years.

In 2002, at the age of 59, his career was brought to an abrupt halt in the middle of a work day, when he was diagnosed with uveal melanoma, which to his dismay caused his life to once again change course.Thanks to Dr. McGowan at the Princess Margaret Hospital, his life was spared although his career as dentist was not. He missed both his patients and staff after his forced retirement. Ioan always enjoyed socializing with his many colleagues at Essex County Dental Society meetings and Ontario Dental Association events, having been a member throughout his entire career.

Our dad was an eternally devoted man who always put family first. He loved experiencing life to the fullest. His mantra of location-location-location led to over thirty years of luxurious waterfront living beyond our wildest dreams, and countless happy memories at both Windsor’s “Casa Siara” and Florida’s Marco Island paradise. Sitting on his twentieth floor balcony overlooking the ocean with a cigar, glass of Cognac or Scotch and his Sudoku puzzles in hand was his idea of Heaven. His zest for life helped create so many happy childhood memories of ski holidays and road trips to Florida, while singing to the tunes of Kenny Rogers. His love of travel brought he and our mom to every corner of the earth, his favourite destinations being Japan and France. Our parents particularly loved cruising and spent many days at sea. His guys’ golf trips to Florida were very much cherished by him.

Our dad’s love of his grandchildren was endless. He found the opportune time to teach Pierce, as a toddler, how to slide backwards was on the Queen Mary 2 grand staircase, while they were both wearing tuxedos. He would buy Anson Timbits and then drive him to the train station so they could watch the trains together. As a baby Sienna would sleep on him for hours as he would lay on the couch watching football. He genuinely loved to learn Charlotte and Emily’s dance routines and perform with them at home. He adored boating, saunas, hot tubs, and natural wood fires while vacationing at the Adams and Olds cottages in Georgian Bay and Petoskey respectively.

Ioan was a man of many talents, and everything he did, he did well. He was an excellent problem solver and self-taught expert in almost every domain. He prided himself on investing his own money, planning elaborate trips, keeping his yard immaculate, doing handy jobs around the house and helping our family in every way. The sewing skills that he learned as a young boy, from his father who was a tailor, gave him the ability to create Halloween costumes and even more memorable, the immense Romanian flag that he proudly waved at the 1994 World Cup Soccer quarter-final match of Romania vs. Sweden. He had a musical ear and was always drawing the crowds onto the dance floor with his excellent rhythm. He was athletic and enjoyed recreational and competitive skiing, tennis and later in life golf. He was a longtime Beach Grove Golf and Country Club member and enjoyed playing with family and friends as well as in both the men’s Twilight League and in the Hooker’s League. A fierce competitor, he loved tournaments, and even won the Club Championship Senior Men’s “B" Flight in 2010 as well as winning the Member-Member Championship with his partner Warren.

Ioan was a true “foodie” and loved good food, especially seafood, lobster and crab legs in particular. Over the years we learned that the only gifts he would accept were those that were edible, however in his eyes no one’s cooking ever measured up to our mom’s. His recent trip to Romania last fall was made so memorable by his sister Nutica, niece Anca and her husband Mircea, who made sure he ate and drank the best the country has to offer….it was the culmination of a full circle life experience.

Anyone who knew Ioan would agree that he was brilliant, brave, ambitious, wise, resilient, hardworking, devoted, compassionate, charismatic, fun, witty, adventuresome and competitive. He was a fighter and eternal optimist until the bitter end. He was an inspiration to us all. He defied all odds, perplexing doctors, surviving for 23 years after his original diagnosis and then for 7 years after recurrence in 2017, when he was given 12-18 months to live. He drove to Toronto for his experimental treatment every week, earning himself the title “King of the Clinical Trial” and even had an article written about him in the UHN Newsroom in December 2021. In all of his suffering throughout his life, both physical and emotional, he always took it in stride and looked forward to his next adventure, even when life threw him some major obstacles. He and our mom always tried to laugh about their illnesses, operating on the Romanian “Faci haz de necaz” principle, “to make fun of trouble”.

His wisdom was admirable and respected by many. He offered sound advice and although not everyone was willing to listen, he was almost always accurate in his judgment. He was a straight shooter, who spoke the truth and called out anyone who dared try to deceive. Although there were a few people that he alienated over the years with his sometimes brutal honesty, those who stood by him were people of integrity who realized that he was fair if nothing else.

That is the legacy he leaves behind. A man who came from humble beginnings, defied all odds to create a beautiful life, with a wonderful family, an accomplished career or two, and lifelong friends who loved him because of the fact that he was real. The only fake thing about him was his left eye, which he joked about regularly. His integrity as a decent, loyal, loving man is what those who had the privilege of knowing him will remember. He will be dearly missed and never forgotten.

May God rest his soul, and keep his memory eternal.

Dumnezeu să-l ierte si să-l odihnească în pace.

Many thanks to Dr. Dale Ziter (Sue); Dr. McGowan,Dr. Hogg, Dr. Butler and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre team; Dr. Hamm, Dr. Cervi, Dr. Freeman and the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre team; Dr. Mikhail; Dr. Toth; Dr. Koppert; Dr. Zayouna; Dr. Bergeron, Dr. Cargill, Dr. Rukavina, Katharen Bortolin and the entire team at the Hospice of Windsor as well as all of the countless nurses, PSW’s, staff, volunteers and friends who made such an incredible impact on our family’s difficult journey. May God bless you all for your kindness and compassion. Many thanks to the staff of Amica Riverside for your kindness.

Visitation at Windsor Chapel Funeral Home - Banwell Chapel (11677 Tecumseh Rd. E. - 519-253-7234) on Friday, March 14 from 2-5 pm (prayers at 4 pm) and 7-9 pm. Relatives and friends are requested to meet the family at St. George's Romanian Orthodox Cathedral (1960 Tecumseh Rd E.) on Saturday, March 15, 2025 from 9 am until Ioan’s funeral service at 10 am. The Rev. Fr. Corneliu Andrasco and Rev. Fr. Nicolae Codrea officiating. Interment to follow at Windsor Memorial Gardens.

Donation to the Hospice of Windsor, The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Foundation or the Windsor Regional Cancer Centre would be greatly appreciated by the family.

Online condolences may be shared at windsorchapel.com.