POSTNIKOFF, Katie Postnikoff

Born on January 4, 1937, to Kuzma and Stella Markin in Benito, Manitoba, our beloved Katie Postnikoff passed away in Kelowna, surrounded by family, on January 20, 2026, having just celebrated her 89th birthday.

Katie was kind, endlessly patient, generous, sociable, and possessed that rare gift of making friends wherever she happened to be.  She was polite without being formal, sociable without being loud, and generous without ever making a point. Family was the centre of her life, and she arranged everything else around it with care and good sense.

She is survived by her children Pearl Dyck (Reidar), Debbie Arcand (Mike), Gail Stenberg (Sheldon, div), and Leslie Rogalski; by her grandchildren Shaun Dyck (Melisa), Waylon Arcand (Misty), Ian Stenberg (Ngan), Christopher Rogalski, and Jordan Rogalski; and by seven great-grandchildren who delighted her beyond measure. She is survived by her sister, Mary Thomas of Winnipeg. Katie was predeceased by her husband, Mike Postnikoff; her grandson Justin Dyck and granddaughter Katrina Arcand; and by her brother Frank Markin and sister Lorraine Picton.  She was also known as Granny to all the fur babies that have come and gone over the years.

Katie met Mike at a barn dance in Benito, a rural farming community in Manitoba, which was exactly the sort of place where such things were meant to happen. They raised their children there, and Katie made sure her 4 little girls were dressed up so pretty, and their hair all curled up with barrettes.  She sewed most of their clothes with skill and determination, producing garments from scraps of material, as a farming life was tough and money was tight.  She was remarkably creative and talented and seemed to know how to do a bit of everything. If something was broken, Katie could usually fix it, or at least improve it enough to last.

She always grew a large vegetable garden and canned anything that could be canned, from fish to chicken to fruit, as that was what fed the family over the winter. Katie and Mike enjoyed some fishing and camping with the family both in Benito and Kelowna, as well as attending auction sales. On one memorable occasion in Benito, they returned home with a circus tent. It was promptly set up in the yard, and soon filled with children and friends sleeping under canvas and stars, which was precisely how Katie believed childhood should work.

Katie was a dedicated thrift shopper and a woman who appreciated a good find. She worked as a Care Aide before she retired, a role she loved deeply. Though she had once dreamed of becoming a nurse, she found her calling as a caregiver, offering comfort, dignity, and genuine attention to those in her care.

After Katie and Mike retired to Kelowna thirty years ago, Katie’s world grew brighter still.  In her senior years, she lived a colourful and interesting life and was game for anything.  She leaves us all with many humorous stories and memories. She even went parasailing on one of the family trips to Mexico in her sixties. From 2012 to 2022, Katie and Mike moved to Nanaimo to live with their daughter Leslie, in a lovely suite in her home.  Her other daughter, Gail and family lived in Nanaimo as well.  That was the draw for many of the family and friends to visit the island many times over those years.  For the past 4 years, Katie moved back to Kelowna, where she lived in assisted living for 3 years and personal care for the last year.  As Katie was the glue for the family, wherever she lived, that’s where the family went to visit.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to Dr. Allister Moffat for his care over the past few years.  He described her as a lovely lady, who remained that way from when he first met her 4 years ago until he last saw her a few days ago.  Special thanks to the staff at Blue Heron Assisted Living, Brandt’s Creek Mews Long-Term Care, and the ICU at Kelowna General Hospital, who cared for Katie with compassion in her final hours.  A special shout-out to her outdoor smoking buddies, both at Blue Heron and Brandt’s Creek, as that formed her social circle during the last 4 years.

A Memorial to be announced at a later date.

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