‘None of us can make any sense of this:’ Murder victim’s friend

HOMICIDE ON BERNARD AVENUE

KELOWNA – A friend and co-worker of the man found murdered in his home on Bernard Avenue Sunday night says he was a generous and caring man who loved nature and loved to talk.

Traci Savel met Warren Welters only a few years ago, but says since then she came to see him as a friend she could always rely on. 

“He was a great guy who would help anybody that needed it. He was a social butterfly who loved to talk, talk, talk," she says, then adds with a laugh: "He wouldn’t listen but he loved to talk.”

The last time Savel saw Welters, they were picking wildflowers together in an alley behind the house where his body was found Sunday night. RCMP originally called the death ‘suspicious’ before confirming that it was a homicide Tuesday morning. He was 51-years-old.

Savel says Welters, who worked in construction most of his life, was well-liked in the neighbourhood. He kept his yard immaculate, and had a passion for all things green.

“He loved gardening, he loved his plants,” she says. “He liked having native flowers that don’t need a lot of water. He was very good at being green and he took pride in having a nice yard.”

Welters attended Kelowna Secondary School in his youth before moving to south Surrey. He moved back and forth several times but came to Kelowna two or three years ago for the last time, Savel says. He loved cars, especially his ’68 Beaumont, walking, hanging out with friends and his two grown daughters, who live out of town.

“They’re not doing too well,” Savel says. “They’re holding up but none of us can make any sense of this.”

Savel says she will always remember Welters, not as a victim but as a good friend who had a beautiful smile and striking blue eyes.

“He had the most beautiful eyes and he had the most perfect little tooth that went over his lip,” she says. “He was a great guy.”

RCMP have said very little about the case and are withholding why they believe the death to be a homicide. Autopsy results are expected back by the end of this week. 

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.