We Remember
BIRKER, Terri Lee (nee BUCHANAN)
May 26, 1957 — November 4, 2021
Terri passed away peacefully at the age of 64, after spending meaningful time with her family.
Born and raised in Toronto, Terri was an avid horse rider in her youth and continued on with that passion until she decided to focus on motherhood and business. She graduated with an Arts Degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising from the International Fine Arts College in Miami. After working for several clothing stores in Ontario, Terri joined Kettle Creek Canvas Co. and set up stores across Canada. When she came to Kelowna, BC, to scope out the territory, she fell in love with the city and decided to open the franchise for herself. A few years later, she used this step to launch her own brand and clothing store, Drydock & Lee Clothing Co., in Downtown Kelowna.
Terri would go for a Latte (1% of course!!!) at The Boh where she met Hans. He would visit Drydock & Lee and get a pair of pants. A Downtown love story was born! They were together for 30 years and married for 28. After retiring from the fashion industry, Terri took a more active role alongside Hans in growing The Bohemian Cafe into what it is today.
Terri was a consummate businesswoman and entrepreneur, and was also known for being community-minded. She was a director on several boards, including the Downtown Kelowna Association, The BC Retail Council, Community Futures, and Sunshine Theatre. Terri donated her time and expertise to the KGH Foundation and was part of the founding group of the Kelowna Paddle Club. She steered many races with her teammates, the most memorable ones being the Queen Liliuokalani in Hawaii and in the World Seniors Games in Edmonton where the crew became gold medalists. More recently Terri enjoyed riding her bikes and getting outdoors. She will be remembered by those who were fortunate enough to know her as a loving, strong, and principled woman who had a unique sense of style.
With so many successes in life, nothing made Terri prouder than her three children who have grown to be strong, independent, and wonderful adults. She took much care in raising and teaching her kids, and enjoyed the rewards alongside them. She loved to help their friends and teams. Katja, Liam, and Quinci are clearly Terri’s legacy and will continue to embody her strength and resilience throughout life. Terri valued the need for daily connection with those she loved and she and Hans would have a standing coffee “meeting” where they would talk and enjoy their time together. The kids joined in when they could and the family will continue the tradition in her honour.
Terri is survived by her loving husband of 28 years, Hans; her children Katja (Ethan), Liam, and Quinci; her mother Marj Buchanan; her sister Karen (Brian) Dunning; her brother Rick Buchanan; her parents-in-law Werner and Elisabeth Birker; her three sisters-in-law Franziska, Litti, and Dorothee; her four nephews Ben (Nan), Travis (Violetta), Kyle (Mark), and Zhen; her two nieces Alison and Emily; her grandnieces Emma, Iris, Carmen, Ellie and Jane; as well as her numerous aunts, uncles and cousins in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Alberta and Florida. She was predeceased by her father, Aubrey Buchanan.
A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, November 15, 2021, at 10 AM PST at Springfield Funeral Home, 2020 Springfield Road, Kelowna, BC. Following Covid-19 restrictions, this service will require attendees to show proof of vaccination and a gov. issued photo ID, and the number of attendees will be limited. Terri requested that people please not wear black. If you wish to attend, Please Click here to register. If you are unable to attend in person, please join the family online by livestream. A recording will be made available to view shortly thereafter.
In lieu of flowers, the family would encourage you to spend time outdoors with loved ones while making sure that you are well dressed, comfortably yet stylishly, as Terri would have wanted you to be.
If you wish to send a condolence, post photos, or share a memory, please scroll down the page to the area called “Condolences”.
Service
Monday, November 15, 2021, at 10 AM
Location
Springfield Funeral Home
My thoughts and prayers are with the entire birker family. Losing Terri felt like losing one of my own family members and the world will be an emptier place without her kind presence. I know that Terri is watching over her loved ones in the body of an angel now taking everyone in with wings in these tough times continuing to spread her love. I’m so sorry Hans, quincy and Liam for your loss and i hope your family is able to heal the broken pieces of your hearts in time❤
To Hans and Family,
Please accept our deepest and sincerest condolences. I’m greatful I got to see Terri Aug, 31/21 in Prince Edward Island. Hans, Katja, Liam & Quicy, Aunt Marj, Karen & Brian and Rick, We will keep you all in our prayers and thoughts and hope that someday when this Covid-19 is finally over, we can all meet again, perhaps for a Family Reunion.
Love Your Cousin Cheryl Davis nee Weeks and Taylor
Sorry to hear about Terri’s passing, My condolences to you and your family Hans.
God’s peace to be with you all.
May the love and compassion you have for each other strengthen and carry you…
To remember that the gift of Terri you will always have.
We want to send our sincerest condolences for your family’s loss. We didn’t know her well, but she always greeted us with a warm smile and kind words.
Terri was a beautiful heart and soul. She was an inspiration for my daughter and an incredible first beginning in her business. She will be soooo missed.
I send my best wished and love to her whole family
We are so sorry to hear and have many fond memories of Terri at the beach. Such a beautiful mom and person. Hugs to all of you.
Dear Hans and Family,
What a beautiful tribute to Terri. I’m so saddened to hear that Terri passed away.
Terri and I go way back. We first met back in 1978 when we were working for Lipton’s Fashions and we quickly became good friends. We had so much fun , We worked hard and played hard. We did a lot of silly things back then ( too many to mention) but we always laughed and reminisced about those crazy days.. Even when Terri moved to Kelowna we remained in touch. When visiting Toronto she would often call and we would get together for a quick coffee or dinner. She was always on the go with a packed agenda but always found some time for a quick visit.
Hans, it was nice to see you and Terri this past June…. sitting out on my back deck sharing a glass of wine and some delicious cheese ( as you said) … was so lovely. I’m so happy that we had that time together.
I’m so lucky to have had such a beautiful friend , both inside and out and I will always remember her and cherish our friendship..
Wishing you and your family love and comfort. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Love Cathy Calderone xo
Our deepest condolences to Terri’s family.
Dear Hans and family,
I was so sad to hear the news of Terri’s passing. She was such an incredible woman and mother. It was so beautiful to read about her life. My heart goes out to you all. Please accept our sincere condolences.
Sheri, Brendan and Mason
Hans, Katja, Liam and Quinci, We are so saddened by this terrible news. Our hearts are with you all. Such a beautiful soul Terri was. Your family is an inspiration to us. Take comfort in all the beauty Terri embodied and taught. Hugs to you all.
Taneda Family
Sorry we are not with our ,”Other family” sharing our memories of Terri with you in person. We are so grateful to be able to call Terri a friend, a dear friend. We will miss hanging out at the beach volleyball courts with Terri, discussing the games like the experts we think we are. I’m sure our kids will miss that. We were fortunate to do a lot of travelling with Terri and Hans. We learned that Terri enjoyed her coffee greatly, was a serious foodie, liked a good brewery, loved the outdoors, and could make a picnic anywhere. I think our friendship took root when our kids played beach volleyball together, Dunn and Birker, and Birker and Dunn. From then on, as most of our holiday trips revolved our children’s sports, the band was back together frequently. After our daughters finished playing in Florida together the band did not get together as often, but still we were able to reunite for a few tribute tours. Although our lead singer is no longer with us, we will forever remember the songs we created together. Remembering that Terri would like us to stay together and perhaps create some new music we will hopefully follow these orders. love you man!
You know, if ever I found myself standing alone watching volleyball games, all I had to do was go stand next to you and Hans, and immediately was welcomed into the circle. I have always felt loved and appreciated by you, even when I’m across the net from Quinci trying my hardest to beat her, which used to happen more when she was younger but never seems to happen anymore haha. You will be greatly missed around the beach scene, but you have made an impact on many of us in the volleyball community. Life won’t ever be the same because of you, and it won’t ever be the same without you.
Dear Hans, Katja, Liam, Quincy, and family… we are ver saddened to hear the passing of Terri. I remember Terri as a classy and beautiful person. She always made me feel valued and always had time for a few words even though I knew she was a busy person. The tribute to her today was so special and the world will miss a beautiful soul. Our heartfelt condolences to you Hans.
Lisan & Rene & Jamie & Anita
So sorry, Hans, to hear about Terri’s passing. Even though I had the privilege of talking with Terri only once I had been told about her many talents and valuable contributions to the community throughout her life, which ended way too soon. May she be an inspiration to us all. With sincerest sympathy, Walter
Dear Hans and Family ,
My thoughts are with all of you – Terri always made me smile . She will be dearly missed by all of you.
Janet Lutsch.
Lieber Hans, Katja, Liam und Quinci, Von Herzen wünsche ich euch ganz viel Kraft und Liebe, dass Ihr eure liebe Terri immer in Gedanken, in eurer Erinnerung und in Bildern bei euch tragen könnt. Wie schwer muss euer Abschied sein. Ihr habt Terri eine so schöne liebevolle und herzliche Trauerfeier bereitet. Ihr seid eine so tolle Familie und Terri wird immer ein Teil von euch bleiben. Fühlt euch herzlich umarmt, in Gedanken bin ich bei euch und schließe euch in mein Gebet mit ein. In Freundschaft und mit stillem Gruß eure Gabi
Sharing and mingling the early lives of our family with your family is a heartfelt and often recounted part of our family story. We share your grief and wish you fond memories of the amazingly lovely person Terri was.
Doug, Shelagh, Annie and Sydney
Dear Hans and family,
I just found out about your loss and wanted to extend my sincere condolences. I am so glad to have met and spent time with your family during our years travelling to Kelowna and across Canada to watch our girls play volleyball together. I will always remember her with knowing she was a person I was glad to have met in my own life. God bless her and may she rest in peace. You are a wonderful family and may you find the strength and courage to continue living your lives knowing she will always be with you in spirit and watching over you all.
With much love, John
Hans, Katja, Liam and Quinci, sending our deepest condolences at this toughest of times. May you take comfort in cherished memories. So very sorry for your loss.
Jackie, Tim, Rachael and Mitch
Hans, Katja, Liam & Quici;
I am heartbroken to hear about your mom’s (wife’s) passing. Terri was an amazing person, who left a lasting impression. I admired her strength, her candor, her enthusiasm, and her love for her family.
I enjoyed watching hours of volleyball with your mom, but I especially loved seeing you all on the court together. I remember an early morning trip to Penticton and we were stopped in road construction when Kyra said ‘mom is that the Birker’s playing volleyball?’ Sure enough it was you, in the middle of the highway playing volleyball, waiting for the flagger to let us through. Never a wasted opportunity to play volleyball!
I really enjoyed your mom’s Facebook live streams, giving us all the opportunity to watch Quinci play beach volleyball. Your mom and I would randomly message each other updates about our children. A couple of years ago she messaged me to share a memory from one of our volleyball carpool trips from Vancouver. I will take a screenshot of it and send it to you Hans.
She was so proud of all of her children, and the love between Terri and Hans was beautiful. I hope you know that your mom (wife) left a lasting impression on so many people. I am sending you lots of love, strength, and positive energy. It will be difficult to navigate your way out of the grief caused by losing someone so spectacular. The service for Terri was so beautiful. Katja you did an amazing job speaking about your mom. I was happy to hear your mom was with you to try on wedding gowns. The service, slide show and song were all beautiful. Terri left this world feeling your love, and with the comfort knowing that you will all take care of one another.
Your family is in my thoughts and prayers.
Monique & family
Dear dear Hans,
Thinking of you and your family so very much at this most heartbreaking of times. Sending love , love, love your way.
Hans and Family
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you during this incredibly hard time. This news has deeply saddened us . I was fortunate to know Terri personally as our daughters Quincy and Lindsey were in school sports together, however, my greatest memories are working with her for many years while she was on the board of directors and several committees at Community Futures. As a staff member, I valued her sage advice as we worked with new entrepreneurs exploring their business opportunities. She managed to balance realism with optimism perfectly. My lasting memory of Terri will be of her walking into a board meeting with a newborn Quincy in a car seat, never wanting to miss a meeting and her commitment as a volunteer, but always making sure her family’s needs were met. She was an incredible role model for me. She will be dearly missed and remembered as a lady with grace, style, wisdom and a very large heart. May you find peace in the wonderful memories you hold dear to you.
Mary Jane, Mark, Lindsey, Christopher and Amy Turton
Hans my sincere condolences on the passing of Arri. She was a fantastic person and a great clothing for me. stay strong
Maurice