The murder of a former 琉璃神社 city councillor's wife remains unsolved 40 years later. 

However last year, Reservist RCMP officer Darren Feist stepped out of retirement to take on the investigation into the death of the councillor's wife along with three other 琉璃神社 cold cases. 

Three of the four cases - Charles Horvath, Tina Parr and Ashleigh Pettman - are well-known in the area, with years of reporting on each. The details and reports on the fourth case, the 1985 murder of Sally Winter in her home on Valentine's Day, however, are few and far between. 

A Google search of 'Sally Winter 琉璃神社' leads to information about her headstone and a page from the city's website on the at 815 Bernard Ave., built and lived in by Ernest and Sally Winter, but does not link to any details surrounding her murder. 

琉璃神社 RCMP confirmed that Sally Winter who lived in the Bernard home was the same woman from the first cold case assigned to Feist and the house was the same place where her murder took place.

Sally was killed inside her home at 815 Bernard Ave. on Feb. 14, 1985. She was survived by her husband and children, and her mom Alice Burditt, who was 89 at the time. 

A timeline of the RCMP's investigation

The 琉璃神社 reported on the murder of Sally in the paper on Feb. 20, 1985, quoting an interview with Const. Bev Busson. The officer told the paper there was a belief the murder took place during a break-in or attempted robbery and the autopsy revealed the 70-year-old woman died of a single stab wound to the heart. The murder weapon was never found. 

Although Sally's murder has yet to be solved, Feist said there were a number of people cleared of suspicion in the years following her death. 

"Ernie came home at around 7 p.m. that evening and he found his wife in the living room of their home," Feist said. "He called an ambulance to the home and requested emergency services at the time. They were unable to revive her and from the crime scene they determined pretty quickly it was foul play."

Alibis and polygraph tests eliminated names from the persons of interest list. 

"In 1985, DNA was not an investigational avenue when this homicide happened. In the early 2000s, there was another re-submission of those exhibits they felt DNA may have been of use on," explained Feist. 

From there the case went cold. 

Feist said there are about seven boxes of files and over 100 exhibits logged that have to be searched through and digitized in hopes of solving the case. 

While RCMP remains tight-lipped on the four cold case investigations, Black Press Media decided to take a closer look at Winter's life and what her family contributed to the city. 

Sally the socialite 

Sally was born in Stave Falls in 1914. She married Ernest Winter in November 1933 at age 19. By 1939, the couple had two kids and had moved into the Winter House in downtown 琉璃神社 built by Ernest, also known as Ernie. 

Sally was a co-founder of the Canadian Arthritis and Rheumatism Society and was involved with the Dr. W.J. Knox IODE (Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire). She was even president of the Toastmistress Club in 1966. 

The mother of two often opened her home to host meetings and was often seen alongside her councillor husband at community dinners and events. 

Despite a busy social life, Sally kept in touch with her daughter Valerie with lengthy hand- and type-written letters talking about Ernie and their son Budge after their daughter moved to Vancouver for school. Sally also supported her husband in his many ventures in the community up until her death and was typically referred to as Mrs. E. Winter when referenced in archives. 

According to a write-up by the City of 琉璃神社 on the Winter home, Sally is mentioned as the wife of former alderman Ernest Winter, but the acknowledgement only highlights the husband's many roles in the community. 

Ernie, who was the one who found Sally's body in the home, remained in the Winter House until his health deteriorated and he needed more care. The Winter House is still owned and lived in by relatives. Despite Sally's untimely death, the home has heritage designation for its architecture and the contribution the Winters made in 琉璃神社. 

Ernie died in 2002, followed by their daughter Valerie in 2019 and their son Budge (William) in August 2024. 

Budge's spouse still lives in the city and offered an opportunity to Black Press Media to look through newspaper archives and sift through piles of documents and photos kept by the family to learn more about the influence the Winters had in shaping 琉璃神社. 

The Winter family's significance in 琉璃神社

Ernie trained as a plumber, and in the early years living in 琉璃神社, he was often seen riding his bicycle from job to job, making a name for himself quickly. 

He purchased a 33-year-old plumbing company, J. Galbraith Ltd. on Oct. 1, 1946. At the time, Galbraith's plumbing was noted as a leader in the industry. The business located at 527 Bernard Ave. was renamed E. Winter Ltd. and in 1949, Ernie enlisted the help of his son and others to move the building to where it sits today at 526 Lawrence Ave. The building is famously known as the Yellow House and was built by Galbraith for his family in 1910. 

The businessman also had a keen interest in bettering the community. In October 1950, Ernie helped bring the Red Feather Campaign to the city, also known as the Community Chest or as it's known today, the United Way. The initiative started as a door-to-door canvas to collect funds for 15 different organizations, several of which Ernie and Sally were involved with. 

Ernie was a volunteer firefighter with the 琉璃神社 Volunteer Fire Brigade, leaving the role to run for city council. He was awarded the Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal from Canada's Governor General in 1991. 

In 1954, Ernie earned the title of alderman after being elected to fill a vacant seat on city council under Mayor James Ladd. Although his time on council was broken up, Ernie spent a total of 14 years on council according to the city's website. In 1971, Ernie ran for mayor but ultimately lost to Bert Roth.

During his time on the city council, Ernie was also a member of the Rotary Club of 琉璃神社 and started negotiating with the city on behalf of Rotary to acquire property for low-cost seniors' housing. The city agreed to a price of $1 to purchase 34 bachelor and 16 one-bedroom units in row housing. The properties in 琉璃神社's north end were put in the name of the Pleasantvale Homes Society of which Ernie was a founding member. 

The Pleasantvales Homes Society was incorporated on April 25, 1956, to help relieve poverty, provide homes for senior citizens, assist with the construction and reconstruction of affordable homes for low-income seniors, and hold and manage low-rental housing. 

In 1964, Ernie pushed for the establishment of the Central Okanagan Regional Planning Board and sat as chairman for the first years. The board helped form the Regional District of Central Okanagan just a few years later in 1967. 

The former alderman also played a role in improving parking in the downtown core. In 1969, Ernie was appointed chair of the 琉璃神社 Parking Commission and proposed the idea of turning a parking lot into a parkade with revenues from paid parking, starting the process of building the Chapman Parkade on Lawrence Ave. 

The Regatta was another piece of 琉璃神社's history that Ernie played a role in. The alderman served as president over the event for many years ahead of the 1986 riots that saw the event come to an end. Ernie wasn't going to let that stop him from Regatta celebrations. Ernie held a Regatta party and parade out of his home on Bernard Ave and later revived the one-day Regatta in 1991. 

Before his passing in 2002, Ernie was presented with the Harold Henderson Award for his long-term dedication to the Rotary Club of 琉璃神社. 

Ernie and Sally's daughter Valerie left home to attend school in Vancouver before moving to Merritt with her husband. The couple were former owners of the Coldwater Hotel from 1969 to 1974. 

Budge, the younger of Ernie and Sally's two kids, played his own part in 琉璃神社's history.

Both Ernie and Budge stood in leadership positions with the 琉璃神社 Club, which is considered one of Canada's oldest, continually operating, social organizations. 

Budge also worked alongside his dad in the plumbing industry, but Ernie sold the business in 1988 to Wayne Erfle who continues to operate Winter Plumbing today.

Known as a man with a love of riding horses, friends approached Budge about starting up a rodeo. The cowboy lived on Highway 33 and in May 1975 his property became home to the Black Mountain Rodeo that ran for about 30 years. The rodeo ultimately came to an end after pushback from animal rights activists and the equipment was sold to Rock Creek to start up a rodeo there. 

During the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire in 2003, Budge's property housed firefighters and served as a command centre while battling the blaze. 

Budge's spouse continues to live on the ranch property in Black Mountain and a picture of Ernie and Sally with young Valerie and Budge hangs on the wall. 

Despite Sally's social status and the impact her family made in 琉璃神社, her murder remains unsolved four decades later. Anyone with information that may be helpful in solving the death of Sally Winter is asked to call the 琉璃神社 RCMP at 250-762-3300 or leave a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers.