It’s with deep sorrow we announce the passing of Kayla Jane Borkowsky on March 20th, 2023 in Surrey, BC. Kayla passed away peacefully with family by her side at age 24, after a long battle with brain cancer. She will be lovingly remembered by her parents Kelly and Darryl Borkowsky, her daughter Presley (3), her fiancé Brock, maternal grandparents Jeanne and Roy, aunt and uncle Tracy and James, cousins Aiden and Adelyn, paternal grandparents Sharon and Glen, aunt Stacey, cousins Marcus and Skylar.

She will be dearly missed by her large group of friends, as well as her extended family in Canada, Northern Ireland, England, and Spain.  

Kayla was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on June 29th, 1998. Her time there was brief before returning to Canada with her mum Kelly who along with her father Darryl, raised her in Surrey, BC. Kayla was a happy child; sweet, kind and loving. Always up for an adventure with a smile and of beautiful spirit.  

Kayla loved all things Disney. Her family trips to the most magical place on earth Disneyland, were the highlights of her childhood. She watched her VHS Disney movies on repeat, even at the expense of family members who watched the Lion King on loop and were left irreparably Scar’red (pun intended).

Kayla had a love for fantastic yet situationally inappropriate footwear. From a young age she insisted on completing her outfits with the most fashionable of footwear, which often led to high heeled shoes at the beach, flip flops in the rain, or soggy kicks in the slush and snow. No parental practicality could dissuade her from the perfect outfit.

This love of fashion and style followed her throughout her life as she pursued her loves of crafting, styling interior home décor, photography, editing and the beautiful curation of her social media feeds.

This passion flowed nicely into her love for Christmas and the holiday season. Christmas was by far Kayla’s favourite time of the year. She loved making family holiday memories and decorating with the Christmas décor. As Kayla became an adult, she took over the family home decorating. This came after several years of simply just rearranging the décor when the family was out of the house. The family happily handed this over to Kayla as the house always looked so beautiful after Kayla had left her magical touch on it.

From a young child Kayla was immersed by her loving mum to music by the likes of Our Lady Peace, Coldplay, and The Glorious Sons.  From this a great love of music was born which drew Kayla to the arenas and live music venues where she so loved to spend her time singing, dancing, spending time with her close friends, and growing her collection of concert t-shirts.

As a teenager Kayla found F.R.I.E.N.D.S and a new love of comedic misadventures was born. Disney VHS tapes were slowly phased out with Friends reruns and Friends trivia nights with her friends and family became a new favourite pastime. Many of her last days were spent watching her favourite show, which brought her great comfort.

As a young adult, Kayla became a mother and her world blossomed with joy and love for her beautiful daughter Presley. The precious little time she had with her daughter was spent nurturing, caring for and taking her daughter on many outings and camping adventures, alongside Presley’s father and Kayla’s fiancé Brock. Kayla could once again embrace her love for Disney seeing it now through the eyes of her daughter.

Their new family was met with great adversity over the first years of parenthood; however, Kayla made sure to fill it with as many memories, love and companionship as possible. And Presley always has very stylish shoes on.

Kayla’s ashes will be laid to rest at Valley View Cemetery in Surrey BC.  There are no services planned at this time, but Kayla would have loved for family and friends to gather, share a meal, attend a concert, or have a Friends viewing party in her honour. Please continue to share stories and favourite memories of Kayla with one another.  The spoken word will help her spirit and memory live on.

The family would like to thank all those that have supported Kayla’s battle and for the well wishes, love and prayers that have been given over the past 2 years. We are forever grateful for the outpouring of support and the gift of time that blossomed from it.  In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the GoFundMe to help with final expenses. Your continued support until this point has given Kayla extra time with us which no value can be placed on. For more information on planned future events, please contact Kelly Borkowsky at borkowskyk@hotmail.com   

Although Kayla was robbed of the lifetime she deserved by an insidious disease that she fought tremendously hard to battle, her courage and strength in the face of this adversity is a testament to her strength of character and her love for her family. The loss of this beautiful soul at such a tender age will leave behind gaping wounds no time can heal; in the words of Kayla’s favourite Friends character Ross “You have no idea how much this hurts.”

Kayla,

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.