We Remember
IKARI, Victor Sawami
August 6, 1969 — March 21, 2026
It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of Victor S. Ikari, who passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on March 21, 2026, at the age of 56. Cancer took his life too soon. His life and words taught us that we need each other to build a thriving community.
He is survived by his devoted wife, Charity; his two loving children, Kaelin and Kiana; his brother Colin; his two stepsons Odin and Eli; beloved extended family and coworkers; and too many friends to count. Victor joins those who passed before him, including his parents Yoichi and June (née Takemura) Ikari and his youngest brother, Martin Ikari.
Born in the heart of Kelowna, raised in the core of Rutland. Victor started in a humble home, his Japanese family growing and selling onions just outside their grandmother’s property. His dad kept him busy with the never-ending cycle of Kelowna’s apple orchards. Victor attended Rutland Elementary, Rutland Middle School, and graduated from Rutland Secondary in 1986. Thrilled to be accepted into the University of British Columbia ‘s Pharmaceutical program at the tender age of 18. He began his career as a pharmacist at the age of 21. While his education prepared him well for the technical demands of the role, it didn’t provide him with confidence on the social side of things.
You would’ve hardly known him, the warm, friendly, and endearing Victor we all know, was terrified to interact with the general public; so, he found a small pharmacy in Whistler, BC in which to “hide”. There he honed his conversational skills and his warmth blossomed. He eventually moved to the BC coast and became an awesome ‘community’ pharmacist, where he flourished. Victor, at his core, was a family man and wanted to provide. His two children were born in the early 2000s in Langley, BC, and he took to fatherhood with devotion. So began his focus on the business side of pharmacy. In a short amount of time, he was promoted to manager of Western Canada for Shoppers Drug Mart. It was Victor who coordinated the Shoppers Drug Mart Points Program, from which we still benefit today. His knowledge, personality, 10-cent golf swing, and top notch negotiating skills gained the attention of his superiors and he was offered another promotion in Toronto – Victor, a BC boy through and through, declined the offer. But he did have aspirations to own his own pharmacy one day; not just one, his dream was to have seven!
He helped many pharmacies across the province with numbers and marketing, which introduced him to a pharmacy in Ashcroft, BC. They were his kind of people, and he fell in love with it. Victor moved his family to Ashcroft and opened his first store in 2007. His next was 2009 in Sidney, BC, a beautiful town on Vancouver Island. He then opened a third pharmacy in 2015, this time in Cranbrook, BC. While health concerns related to SCA3 prevented him from reaching his goal of seven, his ambition and entrepreneurial skills made it clear that given more time he would, no doubt, have succeeded. He was a blessing to each of the communities he served, everyone wanted to be his friend, and he made everyone feel heard and comfortable no matter what time of day it was.
As a father he loved his children dearly and he, along with his brother Colin, wanted to share their love of travel with the kids. Starting in 2015, the four travelled all over Canada and the US, often alternating between Canada and the US each trip. Each trip was truly made with love; full of funny moments and tonnes of pictures! Rollercoaster rides were family portraits; selfies in restaurants were a regular occurrence; tales of their adventures were often retold for others to enjoy; and the silly moments commonly were recalled as part of gentle teasing.
In 2019, Victor met Charity in a Coffee Shop, an unexpected coffee mix up turned into a 4-hour friendly chat. The following week, Victor completely disappeared from regular cellphone conversations. Charity didn’t know that Victor and Colin had gone on a brother’s trip to Las Vegas before tax season. Alarmed by the unexpected silence, Charity waited for another 6 weeks before she agreed to have another cup of coffee with Victor. As the year continued, Victor always made time for her – always coordinating his time with her busy work schedule. When the 2020 pandemic hit, the lockdowns deepened their relationship, giving them the gift of uninterrupted time together. When the two families merged, Victor and Charity were thrilled to see that Kaelin and Eli were two peas in a pod. Every other week was something to look forward to: music, movies, roadtrips, and many homemade dinners together. As the pandemic eased, Victor shared his love of travel with Charity. He promised they would travel the world together, while always mentioning his favourite place to visit – Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Such a happy place for Victor. He travelled there many times a year, drawn by his love of good food, cheap hotdogs, rum ‘n coke, and live entertainment. He and Charity ended up traveling to Vegas so frequently that Victor wanted them to have their own space to rest and relax in while there. In 2023, Victor and Charity found a condo and created a little home in Vegas together.
Victor’s family, friends, and community all feel a profound loss. For a man who once hid in a pharmacy to avoid people, he somehow ended up beloved by all who knew him. That was our Victor.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Ataxia Foundation or more locally the BC Cancer – Kelowna – Sindi Ahluwalia Hawkins Centre for the Southern Interior.
A service will be held on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 10:00 am (PT), at Springfield Funeral Home, 2020 Springfield Road, Kelowna, BC. If you are unable to attend in person, please join the family online by Livestream at the time of the service (see below), a recording will be made available to view within 3-5 days.
The family would like to encourage everyone to share their “Victor story” to help celebrate him. If you wish to send story or condolence, post photos, or share a memory, please scroll down the page to the area called “Condolences”.
I had the pleasure of knowing Vic when we were students at UBC and lived on the same floor in Totem Park Residence. He was always such a fun and positive person to be around and we stayed in touch after university. I fondly remember visiting him in Whistler on several occasions for fun weekends with friends in his stylish basement suite! We lost touch along the journey of life as busy lives and careers moved us in different directions. Thank you for sharing such a lovely obituary and it makes me happy to know he lived such a rich life, albeit sadly too short.
Kaelin and Kiana, we met you soon after birth, being neighbours and incredibly close friends of your parents. Distance may have separated us physically, but we always kept in touch with your Dad. Most recently, I texted with Victor in December, talking an out catching up in Vegas soon. Unfortunately that never happened. Charity, Cathy and I are sorry we never got to meet you – but Victor did tell me how happy he was. Have to share probably the funniest story Victor and I shared for years…shortly after we moved in as neighbours, we were both doing some landscaping improvements, and met another ‘older’ neighbour from the ‘hood. The gentleman asked Victor if he was Chinese – to which Vic replied “no, Japanese”. Guy asks Victor “what part of Japan are you from?” Without skipping a beat, Vic replied “Kelowna”. I think the old guy was stunned, because he didn’t even respond. Vic and I laughed about that for many years. My favourite Victor story… rest in ease Vic!! Audley & Cathy
So sad for your loss. He was gone too soon. Victor and I were classmates in Rutland Senior Secondary. I remember I used to help “Vic” with his Chemistry and got annoyed when he did better on the exams than me! Victor always had a smile on his face even when things weren’t going well and he was very engaging and fun to be around. I regret that now I won’t able to reconnect with him after all these years.
I am saddened by the loss of Victor. I was his roommate in that Suite Whistler. I have too many stories that I will have to tell at a later time. We always had an interesting time, laughed a lot. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and we sparsely kept in touch. May his family and friends find peace.
Gone too soon. Vic was defiantly a person that stood out. Never my pharmacist or customer but someone that made his presence known. He definitely provided some laughs and good times and I’m greatful to have gotten to know him a bit. RIP Vic.