Wally Strelau

It is with great sadness that we announce that Wally Strelau, beloved husband of Erika, passed away on October 18, 2020, at the age of 86.  He was surrounded by his family, who are comforted knowing that he is now in the presence of Jesus his Saviour.

Wally was born to a family of German descent in the town of Pisarefka, Ukraine, on December 20, 1933.  In 1949, the family, without their dad, immigrated to Canada through the sponsorship of a farmer in Morris, Manitoba.  After working on the farm for two years, Wally moved to Winnipeg in 1951 to begin his upholstery trade with Flexsteel Furniture. This is also where his passion for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers began and continued his whole life. 

Wally continued his upholstery trade when he moved to Vancouver in 1959, where he met the love of his life, Erika.  They were married in 1961 and were then blessed with two children, Glenn and Colleen.  Wally and Erika were active members of Bethany Baptist Church their whole lives where they also nurtured many wonderful lifelong friendships.   In 1976, Wally started his own business, Flexway Upholstery, providing custom built furniture for many designers and friends. 

Wally’s love for people is what his family cherishes and remembers most.  While Wally loved to be active, such as golfing regularly right up until his cancer diagnosis, it was his passion and commitment to Christ, his family and friends that left a legacy for his family.  Wally adored his four grandchildren, and he was deeply loved by them.  As his wife’s health continued to decline due to Alzheimer’s, Wally’s passion to visit, provide care and feed every meal to his lovely wife in resident care for the past five years was an example of his enduring love that warmed the hearts of family and friends.  He always said, “I have to go and see my bride now”. 

Wally is survived by his wife Erika, son Glenn Strelau (Rhoda) of Surrey, BC, daughter Colleen Martin (Dale) of Lethbridge, AB, grandchildren Kayla (Travis), Matthew (Kyle), Will, Jack, brother Willi (Elsie) and predeceased by his younger brother Walter. 

A private Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2020. Live Stream of the event will begin at 10:45am here: https://youtu.be/xHcOoO6x96s