Vendors, patrons pay tribute to Dudy at sombre Wednesday Kamloops Farmers Market

“We put a bouquet of flowers there and over the course of the morning, people have been adding cards and more bouquets,” Unger said. “It’s very organic. It feels very much like what the market does. It’s our way of honouring him.”

It was a simple tribute for a man who was a fixture of the Kamloops Farmer’s Market for nearly 30 years. Unger said they didn’t have a lot of time to put together a big memorial as they only found out about Dudy’s passing on Tuesday.

“I think he was a down-to-earth, humble kind of guy, so I think he would have loved a very humble memorial,” Unger added.

Emma Molina, the owner of Berry Sweet Gardens, was one of several vendors saddened to hear about Dudy’s unexpected passing.

“He was an excellent person, very well known in the community,” Molina said. “He was so friendly with everyone. The product he used to have [was] excellent. This is a shock for everybody.”

“Dieter was a cornerstone of the market,” added Petra Roelz, the owner of Red Cliff Farm. “Everyone knew him and you’d go and you’d say hello to him every morning. He’d always have his music going while we were setting up, so yeah, he was just a part of the market. He will be greatly missed.”

We are saddened by the sudden passing of Dieter Dudy of @ThistleFarm

Dieter was a long-term vendor with the Kamloops Farmers’ Market at both the Wednesday & Saturday market days. He also served as a market board member for several years. Civic participation was important to him. pic.twitter.com/xt2xG3Hoj8

— Kamloops Farmers Mkt (@KamloopsFarmMkt) September 9, 2026

Tributes from friends, colleagues, business groups and others began to pour in this week, as word about Dudy’s passing began to spread in the community.

“We’re still in disbelief,” Roelz said. “He was so full of life and he seemed very fit. He had a whole new chapter of his life he was going to start. He was going to do a lot of travelling last time I spoke to him, and it’s still had to believe that he’s not going to be here anymore.”

“We used to talk to him all the time,” Molina added. “This is a shock for everybody.”

Dudy owned and operated Thistle Farm in Westsyde, and while he also served eight years on city council between 2014 and 2022, most Kamloopsians got to know him though the farmers’ market.

“He wasn’t one of our founders, but he has been one of our longest running vendors,” Unger said. “He sat on the board of directors for the market for a while and he was very instrumental in helping the market grow and in shaping its path forward and be the best it could.”

“He even sat on the board of the BC Association of Farmer’s Markets (BCAFM) for a while, he was actually a founder of the BCAFM, and yeah, he was just really committed to markets.”

Unger said Thistle Farm is expected to be back in its regular spot at this Saturday’s market in the 200-block of St. Paul Street and the Stuart Wood schoolyard.

“There is still produce in their fields. The farm was still in full operation and the last thing [Dieter] would have wanted would have been to see all the hard work that he spent all summer long just going to waste in the field,” Unger said.

“The family couldn’t make it down to the market today, hence the memorial, but yeah, they will be there on Saturday, so please come on down to the market, pay your respects to the family and let’s honour a great man.”

by Victor Kaisar

Vendors, patrons pay tribute to Dudy at sombre Wednesday Kamloops Farmers Market

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