It is with great sadness that we announce that Erika Strelau passed away on July 6, 2023, at the age of 83, beloved wife to the late Wally Strelau, in Surrey, B.C. She was surrounded by her family, who are comforted knowing that she is now in the presence of Jesus her Saviour.

Erika was born on April 4, 1940, to Ferdinand and Olga Schulz in Waldwerder, Germany.  It was difficult times for the Schulz family during and after WWII, as they fled from town to town as war refugees.  Due to the generous sponsorship of a Baptist Church in Chilliwack, B.C., the family finally immigrated to Canada in 1953 and settled in Chilliwack.  After finishing school and working a few jobs, Erika eventually followed her dream and moved to Vancouver in 1960 where she started her job at Vancouver Fancy Sausage.  In 1961, while attending Bethany Baptist Church, Erika met the love of her life, Wally.  They were married later that year and were then blessed years later with two children, Glenn, and Colleen.

In 1979 Erika began her new career at Word Communications where she worked 25 years until her retirement in 2004.  She was the warehouse manager for the last 5 years of her career.  She loved her job and the many wonderful friendships she had there.

Erika and Wally were active members of Bethany Baptist Church their whole lives where they also nurtured many wonderful lifelong friendships.  Erika truly enjoyed singing in the Bethany choir for over 35 years.  Erika was also involved in women’s ministries and serving as a deacon.  She also loved to host gatherings at her home, whether it was for family, friends, or out of town guests, feeding them well with her passion for cooking and baking. Erika was later blessed with four grandchildren that she adored, and she was deeply loved by them all.

In 2010, the family noticed that Erika was showing early signs of dementia, which was then confirmed as Alzheimer’s disease in 2011.  After Wally and Erika moved to Elim Village in 2013, her health continued to decline to the point where Erika moved into residential care in 2015.  Wally continued to visit Erika several times faithfully and passionately every day, until he passed away in 2020 after a short four-month battle with cancer.  Erika continued to receive excellent care from the loving team at Elim Village which our family is truly grateful for.

Erika is predeceased by her loving husband Wally, survived by her son Glenn Strelau (Rhoda), grandchildren Kayla (Travis), Matthew (Kyle) of Surrey, BC, and her daughter Colleen Martin (Dale), grandchildren Will and Jack of Lethbridge, AB, brothers Otto Schulz and Manfred (Wendy) Schulz. Erika is also predeceased by her sister Margaret & (Len) Schmidke and sisters in law Linda Schulz and Joanna Schulz.

A Celebration of Erika’s life will be at 10:30 am on Thursday, July 13, 2023, at Bethany Baptist Church in Richmond, B.C.