WOII Odd Ivar Bjerke, CD (Ret’d)

We regret to advise of the death of Warrant Officer Class II Odd Ivar Bjerke, CD (Ret’d) on 31 October 2022 at age 97 years. Ivar was a Second World War Royal Canadian Engineer veteran.

Born Lillehammer Norway, Ivar came to Canada as a child with his family in 1927. He enlisted in 1942 and served in Northwest Europe with the 4^th Field Park Company as a Dispatch Rider. At the war’s end, he joined the Permanent Force after he was demobilized and served a full career with the Royal Canadian Engineers that included service with the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in Egypt

Ivar retired from the Canadian Forces after serving with the Northwest Highway System in the early 1960s and joined the Public Service with the federal Department of Public Works. His responsibilities there included the military camps in British Columbia and the Yukon Territories.  

Upon retirement from Public Works, Ivar followed his love for the open sea and the Fraser River and enjoyed more than 20 years as a commercial salmon fisherman. Ivar was a proud member of Royal Canadian Legion Branch No.295. 

Ivar has been cremated. Online condolences can be sent to the funeral home.