Captain (retired) Philip Roy Berikoff

It is with profound sorrow that we mourn the passing of Philip Roy Berikoff. Philip passed away suddenly in his home on February 10, 2025, at the age of 76.

Philip was a loving husband to Suzanne Bryant-Berikoff.  He was a devoted father to his children and grandchildren. Survived by son Garrett Berikoff, son Lance Berikoff and his wife Helen Berikoff (née Yung), and step-daughter Jennifer Thorkelson (née Wagnell) and her husband Jason Thorkelson. Phil is also survived by his loving sister, Twyla Somagyi (née Berikoff).

He most loved being a grandfather to Gabriel Berikoff and Maximus Berikoff and would happily spend whatever time he could with them.

As a 17-year-old street kid from Vancouver, Phil Berikoff walked into a recruiting centre and joined the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. It was the start of a military career and a life that would take him around the world.

From the start, he was an outstanding soldier who was infantry, Airborne, Pathfinder, sniper, and a military bodyguard. Following his infantry days, which saw him personally inspected by Queen Elizabeth II, he re-mustered into intelligence as an INT OP and was commissioned from the ranks as an Intelligence Officer.

He would be in Cyprus when the Canadian Army stunned the world by bringing about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, which halted the famous airfield battle in 1974. His photo for that operation can be seen in the Canadian War Museum.

He also served in the  former Yugoslavia during Operation Storm and in Kosovo during the dark days. Other tours would see him in the Golan Heights, Germany, the Sinai Desert, Jamica, NORAD HQ, and the high arctic.

From the killing fields of Bosnia and Kosovo to a Canadian government cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Mulroney, his expertise was personally sought out by commanding generals, Defence Ministers, Chiefs of the Defence Staff, and the lead Prosecutor of the War Crimes Tribunal.

While Phil was one of the first soldiers to be awarded the Order of Military Merit (OMM), one of the greatest compliments to him, as he saw it, came from one of the warring factions in the former Yugoslavia. They had put his picture on a poster offering a substantial reward for his assassination. In Phil’s world, this was high praise! He must have been doing an excellent job if one of the warring factions hated him that badly. However, he would occasionally carry a small piece of shrapnel in his pocket – the one that had missed killing him by inches during the fall of Knin in 1995. As many veterans like himself had learned, life has a certain randomness to it that cannot be calculated.

Following military days, Phil went to work in an intelligence role for the International War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY) in Den Haag. Following several years of dedicated work, the Court granted him the extraordinary title of Amicus Curiae – a friend of the court. His time at the ICTY saw him develop a professional relationship with Chief Prosecutor, Madam Justice Arbour. While Phil grew into having the strongest respect for the institutions of Canadian society, he also still had a soldier’s sense of humour. Phil was given a personal tour of the Supreme Court of Canada by (then) Supreme Court Judge Arbour, who was 'stature challenged.' Phil looked at the imposing nine red chairs that seat the judges in the main hearing room. Turning to the Judge, he said “You must sit in that chair.” 

Madam Justice Arbor turned and responded, “How would you know that?”

“It is the only one with an extra pillow,” said Phil.

In yet another turn of events, Phil also worked for the Pima Country Sheriff's Department in Arizona. Starting as a volunteer, the office soon recognized what they had in Phil’s experience. Before long, he was working on intelligence issues related to border security and the operation of Mexican cartels on US territory. He was recognized for his contributions to the department.

Phil had an amazing ability to stay calm. This may have been due to earlier training that saw him make HALO (high altitude low opening) jumps as a paratrooper. Free-falling from 22,000 feet with an oxygen mask and then delaying opening your chute until just before you hit the ground teaches you a certain amount of tolerance; so does completing an underwater egress from a submarine torpedo tube during Pathfinder training!  The sniper course also taught patience (along with a bunch of high-end math skills). All of this together produced an individual that could remain focused on the task at hand while others panicked or fell apart.

Throughout his life, Phil was a student and an admirer of the institutions that built Canada. He was proud to serve Canada at home and abroad and represented Canada well on the world stage. His life, from homelessness in Vancouver to the battlegrounds and hallways of power in the world, should serve as inspiration to those who see their own challenges as limitations.

Phil would wish to be remembered not only for his service and devotion to his country but for the love of his friends, family and fellow comrades.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Graveside Service with Military Honours on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. in the National Military Cemetery, located at Beechwood Cemetery (280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario).