Kerry Alexander WINKLER

WINKLER, Kerry Alexander November 11, 1962 - July 5, 2021 Kerry passed peacefully on July 5, 2021, in the arms of his family at his home in West Vancouver, B.C. Kerry fought a four-year battle with ALS, becoming a major advocate for research, policy changes and awareness throughout his journey. Born in Nanaimo, BC to Dale and Shirley Winkler, Kerry was the youngest of three. Along with his sisters Barb and Lori, he was raised in a loving home full of music, laughter, friends and family. He moved to Vancouver to attend UBC in 1982, where he met his beloved wife Wendy. Over the years, they enjoyed many travels together, including six years living in South Florida with their children Melissa and Ian. They celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary in June 2021. A loving father and role model, Kerry was actively involved in his children's sports, schooling and other activities growing up. His successful business career has been a major inspiration to Melissa, who is proudly following in his footsteps. With his son Ian, he enjoyed playing hockey, hiking, and lazy weekends watching TV together. The two shared a love for good beer, good food and good music. Kerry was the number one fan and chief accountant of Ian's band, Meltt. Kerry was an avid golfer, hockey player, skier and overall athlete. An outgoing and kind individual, he loved to socialize and enjoyed spending time and travelling with the Core and other treasured friends. Kerry led a successful and fulfilling career in business. He obtained his CA and CBV designations while working at Deloitte, first in audit, followed by financial advisory. He had the opportunity to move to Florida in 1999, where he worked in CFO positions at STG and Siemens. In 2005, the Winklers returned to Vancouver, where he joined Cummins Western Canada as the CFO. Always a passionate leader, Kerry's strong management skills eventually led him to co-own and run his own business, ColdFront, where he continued to work well into his diagnosis. After retiring from ColdFront, Kerry continued to use his leadership skills to advocate for ALS. He was a founding member of ALS Action Canada, a patient-led advocacy group pushing for faster access to ALS treatments and therapies in Canada. He also devoted his time to advocacy work for the ALS Society of BC, fundraising for the Walk to End ALS, and participation in clinical trails, in the hope that one day there will be treatments and a cure for this devastating disease. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to either ALS BC (https://www.alsbc.ca/in-memory-of-kerry-winkler/) or ALS Action Canada (https://alsactioncanada.org/). A virtual Celebration of Life will be held on July 15, 2021. Please contact wjwinkler4@gmail.com for details.