Kalena Jere Mackiewicz
Celebration of Life
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
3:00 PM
Canadian Memorial United Church (Sanctuary)
1806 West 15th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 2L1
See on Google Maps
Livestream of the Service is available: www.youtube.com/@canadianmemorialunitedchurch
Memorial Reception
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
4:00 - 6:00 PM
Canadian Memorial United Church and Centre for Peace (CMUC)
1825 West 16th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 2M3
See on Google Maps
Obituary for Kalena Jere Mackiewicz
March 22, 1987 – July 2, 2026
Vancouver, BC, Canada - It is with profound sadness and disbelief that we must come to terms with the death of our beautiful Kalena who passed away suddenly on Thursday, July 2nd, 2026, at her home.
Kalena is survived by her parents, Richard and Louise (Rudnicki); her sister, Amelia; her Nana, Kathleen Rudnicki (Fitzpatrick); aunties Gail, Rebecca, Grace and Julia; uncles Edward, Allen, Doug, and Andre; cousins Natasha, Lucy, Emily, Bradley, Walter, Theodore, Timothy, and Liam; her large, extended family in Canada, The US and in England; dear friends; and her beloved cat Arloe, all of whom loved her deeply.
Kalena had a kind soul and the cutest giggle. She loved to draw from the moment she held her first crayon. She was born at Grace Hospital in Vancouver, attended French-immersion from K-to-12 in Calgary and moved back to Vancouver in 2005, to attend university. She studied illustration throughout her childhood through correspondence at Art Instruction, summer camps, school art classes, and by illustrating for the St. Francis High School newspaper in Calgary. She learned animation at the Quickdraw Animation Society in Calgary, where she won first place at the Hot Shots High School Film Festival for her short film, Come See the Duck in 2004, attended the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) summer residency in Los Angeles in 2004, and ultimately graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Animation from Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 2010, where she won the Audience Choice award for her grad film, Bad Habits.
As an illustrator, Kalena was a regular contributor to CiTR Radio’s Discorder Magazine since 2016. She created posters for house shows and music events and was commissioned to create a variety of unique works of art. Bright colours, bold contrast, humour, and intricate detail were at the heart of her artistic style.
Music was another of Kalena’s lifelong passions. As a child, she studied keyboard and piano for many years, completing Royal Conservatory of Music Level 8 in Piano. Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin was one of the pieces she most enjoyed challenging herself to master. She later performed in various punk bands throughout Vancouver, (the No-See-Ums) played mandolin with a local folk group, and occasionally performed keyboard on Saturday afternoons at Neptoon Records. Kalena’s creativity seemed endless. Comedy writing, improvisation and performing stand-up were her latest creative pursuits. Perseverance, a quick wit, and remarkable bravery were among her greatest strengths.
A celebration of Kalena’s life will be held at the Canadian Memorial United Church and Centre for Peace (CMUC), 1825 West 16th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 2M3, on Wednesday, August 5th, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PDT. The service will also be livestreamed on the church’s YouTube channel. www.youtube.com/@canadianmemorialunitedchurch. Officiant: Reverend Jeff Rock. A reception will follow in the Great Hall, next door, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Parking: The church has some parking spaces, including two accessible parking spaces. Additional unrestricted residential street parking is available in the surrounding neighbourhood and along West 15th Avenue near the Granville Children’s Park. As this is a busy area for traffic, please use the crosswalk at the traffic lights at West 16th and Burrard Street.
Attire: Comfortable summer attire and colourful clothing are encouraged in celebration of Kalena’s life.
Arrangements have been made for the interment of Kalena’s ashes. A private service will take place at the Fitzpatrick family gravesite at Mountain View Cemetery, in Vancouver, BC. She will be laid to rest alongside her great-great-grandparents, Catherine Clare and Thomas Fitzpatrick; great-grandparents, Bernard and Laura Fitzpatrick; great-great-aunts and uncles; her grandfather, Frank Rudnicki; and her grand-aunt, Marjorie Fitzpatrick.
Rest in peace, Kalena
You are forever in our hearts
Memorial Donations
Kalena worked at the CMUC as a Facility Host and participated in the choir during this year’s Easter service. She is deeply missed by her church community. In lieu of flowers, donations to Canadian Memorial United Church, to support its ongoing charitable work, would be greatly appreciated.
In Loving Memory
Condolence Messages
