Andrew (Andrejs) Birkhans was born March 20, 1931 in Cesis, Latvija. Second son of Alfreds and Lora (nee Miezitis) Birkhans. Baby brother to the late Juris, and big brother to Ilze, Martin and Dace.
Andrew and family fled from Latvia to Germany towards the end of WWII and lived as refugees for 4 years before settling in their adopted homeland of Canada. Andrew studied Engineering at Carleton College in Ottawa and completed his degree at Queen's in Kingston.
In 1961 during a trip to Germany, Andrew met and married Silvija Kreslins, a fellow Latvian refugee. They had 2 daughters Mara and Benita, settling in Toronto. Although a relatively private man, Andy loved a good laugh and sometimes more than a glass of wine!
He enjoyed classical music, Formula 1 racing and NFL football.
Andrew lost Silvija on April 24, 2020. The celebration of Silvija's life was postponed until now, due to the pandemic.
Andrew was also loving grandfather to Rudy, the late Lukas and Nikki.