Terrance George Estell

First off, let it be said that Terry Estell was a man with some flair. He had a smile like the sun and a hustle in his step. He was slaying dragons and building castles. He lived life like a Santana song: creative, masterful, and full of joy. It is hard to fathom that such a man could ever come to a stop. But he did, and we, the ones who loved him, feel the loss of him deeply.

Terry was born under the big sky of Mirror, Alberta, to his parents, Paul and Irene. He had a brother, Vincent, as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, and great-uncles, and numerous cousins. He was rich in family and all they did together, The Estell Garage, The Estell Boarding House, curling, hunting, camping, Scouts, town parades, and cars!

He became a sailor in the navy, a Miner, a Mechanic, a Carpenter, and a water witch like his father (He wore a lot of different hats in his lifetime, literally and figuratively, and he wore them well!). He took all those talents with him to join his parents on Pender Island in ’66, where they built The Driftwood Service Station and ran the garage/gas station, as well as The Drift Inn. It’s also where Terry built a home and met his first wife, Carol M, and they had their daughter, Andrea E. Good years passed, filled with friends, growing The Driftwood, a mechanic during the week and he built homes and boats on the weekend. He even extended his home and installed the infamous hidden sauna. He built a Viking ship for his motley crew of friends to go to the Lamb Roast on Saturna. There was frisbee golf before there were any courses, the church of good fishing, building rockets, London Fog parties, possibly part of the Pender Cannabis Appreciation Society, and may have been the “Mayor of Pender Island” one day in a parade far, far away. But who can be sure? Those years on Pender also brought Terry and Andrea a great blessing in Susan B. and their son Caleb E. While their relationship was short, their friendship was lifelong.

In ’84, Terry moved to Victoria, not knowing that he would meet his soulmate a few years later in ‘88. He and Irmgard (Leni) V fell deeply in love and married fast, which gave Terry two new bonus blessings in her children, Daniel (Dan) V and Erin V. Terry continued to build, all over the southern tip of the island, and built more boats. No moss gathered on him. He worked for himself; he worked hard and a lot. But he also gardened, played Bocce in the backyard, watched golden hour with a glass of wine, and wintered in Thailand. He enjoyed music, weekend boat trips on the “Be Back”, Sunday dinners with the big extended family, going for a rip, playing morning crib, going to the lake, safety meetings, the many birds they had over the years, and damn could he cook! (No relation to the pet birds.). Those years were blessed with more family in sons and daughter’s in-law, Darren R, Tanya E, and Kirsten V, and of course the blessed grandchildren, Alea E, Elisha E, Oliver V, Jaxon V, and Jaedyn E.

Ever since Terry and Leni met, they have been sailing into sunsets together, sharing, laughing, and loving, and we are so grateful they had those years together.

Terry Estell will be forever missed by those who knew him.

-Andrea Estell

P.S. Dad, I hope when your family meets you on the other side, Grandma is there waiting for you with the biggest Tomato Aspic the world has ever seen.

A Celebration of Terry’s Life will be held at his home for friends and family on Saturday, September 13th, 2025, at 1:00pm. For further information, contact terryscelebration64@gmail.com

Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com

This obituary is the property of the “Estell” family and may not be reproduced, distributed, or altered in any way without prior written consent.