Toronto memorial held for Romanian family who died trying to cross to U.S.

Florin Iordache, his wife Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, their two-year-old daughter Evelin and one-year-old son Elyen were among eight people found dead.

A Romanian couple who died with their Canadian-born children as they fled a deportation order were remembered at a memorial Thursday as loving parents who wanted the best for their kids.

Florin Iordache, his wife Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, their two-year-old daughter Evelin and one-year-old son Elyen were among eight people found dead in the St. Lawrence River in March.

Police have said the Iordaches and another family were trying to cross to the United States through Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, which straddles provincial and international boundaries and includes regions of Quebec, Ontario and New York state.

Dozens of community members and staff of the TAIBU Community Health Centre, where the Iordaches received health care in Toronto’s east end, gathered for a memorial to remember the family on Thursday. A photo of the family stood on a table with flowers and candles while attendees listened to Romani music.

Francine Charpentier, a nurse practitioner at the centre who provided primary health care to the family, said the event was an opportunity for those who knew the Iordaches to share their grief.

“I’ve known them for three years. I’ve known the oldest child, Evelin, since she was four days old,” she said. “I’ve seen them all the time.”

Charpentier said she wrote a few letters to support their refugee case.

“They were fantastic. They were great parents, very dedicated and devoted,” she said. “It was so tragic that it’s hard to put into words.”