Generations in the City: The Schell family -- A Legacy of Family and Home

Kelowna is like a beautiful coming of age story. For those who grew up here, such as the Schell clan where five generations currently reside, Kelowna has matured into a city with all the stuff. Now, they believe Kelowna is not only the place to visit and have fun but is also now a truly ideal place to live and build a future. Long have people wished to live here – with our four distinct seasons, our legendary lake, our ski hills, our lush growing season, and agricultural industry. The issue was how to stay?

We sat down with Jennifer Schell- Lirag, a long time Kelowna resident, newspaper columnist, photographer and author, to get her views as she witnesses the evolving city she was born and raised in. 

Jennifer Schell Lirag as a toddler on the tractor with her maternal Grandpa John Weisbeck in East Kelowna

A promising city today & for generations to come

Each generation in the Schell family can now find the infrastructure they need to live their best life in Kelowna. Jennifer's parents who are now in their senior years and even one of her nieces who has just had her first child can utilize the healthcare provided at our world-class hospital. 

John & Marion Schell amongst their apple trees. 

For the 20-something nephews and nieces in the family, the Gen Z’ers, can take advantage of the expanded job and entrepreneurial opportunities or continue schooling and have fun enjoying the entertainment and restaurant scene as well as the wineries and breweries. The teens now have the option to save money and stay at home to attend university and college as well as enjoy the fun vibe of Kelowna's newly burgeoning university town scene.

And for the Gen Xers, they are now planning their retirement here, with the city's perfect offerings for that next big lifestyle change with all the golf, boating, shopping, and nature activities they could want for. And more importantly, for those in their family that left for career opportunities are now returning or planning to return with brimming with exciting business ideas to join this vibrant new urban culture and make plans for their future.

(l-r) Siblings Jamie, Jennifer & Jonathan Schell on the family orchard

Evolving city: Embracing old & new lifestyles

Kelowna’s epic growth spurt brought new life to our neighbourhoods and has built new ones. It now actually feels like a city buzzing with people, kids and dogs playing in parks and new shops and businesses popping up.

"We bicycle around the city’s bike paths and our usual route down Abbott Street to Gyro beach, stopping to get groceries or at a bakery to pick up a treat. Or we go the other direction under the bridge and through our stunning City Park to get a coffee and grab a park bench to sit and stare at our never-tiring view of our big blue lake." shares Jennifer.

She adds, "Growing up in the green agricultural belt in South-East Kelowna, I was blessed to be a part of the original backbone of what built Kelowna’s success and put us on the map – the farming industry. And to be precise, the fruit growing industry. Kelowna was a bustling fruit production hive, with busy orchards growing fruit to provide to the local fruit canning operations and to a famous juice making mega-success company, as well as providing our beautiful local fruit to packing houses to distribute and export. It was a beautiful farming community and a charming small town, but we needed more to grow our community and keep our families here."

Father John Schell tending his apple trees

Envisioning the future

Fast forward to the future, the Schells watched Kelowna morph into an exciting grape growing and wine making force and then again expand with the times to become a nucleus for the digital world and an innovation centre for the technical world. Now with even more business opportunities in place and UBC Okanagan building a second campus downtown, we are finally building the necessary urban centre and with it the city culture we have been craving. These were crucial changes needed for our next gen to be able to return home and build their careers or go to school here and start their families.

Kelowna has grown to accommodate all these needs which has allowed the Schell family to continue their successful lineage and continue building their family legacy here.  From the orchard industry that Jenn's parents and grandparents were an integral part of, she and her siblings chose different careers that were unique and timely for their respective industries. 30 years ago, her brothers created a very successful dental lab and since have built a thriving, progressive business here, providing local employment for a staff of 40.

Finding my way back home

For Jenn, as a writer, watching the wine industry begin to take hold here, she moved back to Kelowna and began her journey into Kelowna's food and wine world. She found amazing opportunities in the magazine and newspaper world and went on to create internationally award-winning cookbooks featuring and celebrating the community of passionate people behind our food and wine industry.

For the Schells, in addition to Kelowna's obvious natural allure, they chose to stay in Kelowna to be together. "We support each other here and the city size is perfect for us to be able to visit each other’s homes. My parents still live in the same house we grew up in on our family orchard; the same warm house on the orchard they bought as newlyweds in 1965. This is our hub, our home and our heartbeat. And no matter how large this city has grown; it still glows with a small-town soul and the warmth and camaraderie designed by our farming community."

Jennifer with her husband Jay Lirag on their wedding day on the Schell family orchard in East Kelowna

The Schells are proud and faithful Kelownians. "This city is our legacy. Our roots run deep into the earth below this city, and we give thanks to our great grandparents and grandparents who immigrated here from Europe and choose this very special place, in all the world, to build us our home."