Obituary
Lornie was born on October 11, 1950 to George and Mary Lipka (Bzdel) at the Wadena Hospital, Wadena, Sask. Lornie has a younger brother Harvey born in 1954 and was predeceased by an infant brother in 1949. Lornie attended Ponas Lake school in his early grades and then attended Rose Valley school for his highschool grades. After graduation Lornie continued assisting his father with farm work and also worked on construction crews building schools in the Wadena area. A few years later Lorne moved to Saskatoon to live with his brother Harvey. He took a finishing carpentry course and later was employed as a school janitor and maintenance man at the Kelsey Institute. It was during this time that Lornie was having difficulty with his diabetes and his vision became a concern requiring him to undergo surgery. This surgery left Lorne with limited and deteriorating vision and requiring a few years of rehabilitation at the CNIB in Saskatoon. Lornie’s parents moved to Wynyard in 1972. Lornie’s father passed away from cancer in 1975. His brother Harvey was employed in Saskatoon and in 1980 he married Ida Ratzlaff and they moved to Alberta. After a few years of rehabilitation at CNIB Lorne moved to Wynyard to live with his mother. This left Mary as Lornie’s soul caregiver with his vision disability for the next 36 years. It was a trying period of time for the two of them. Lornie had a lot of adjusting to do with his disability, but he was determined, strong and stubborn. Mary was very proud of Lornie’s independence, his perseverance and his desire to better himself. Lornie loved to listen to music, especially country music and has accumulated a great collection over the years. He also became involved with new technologies such as computers and scanners. In 1996 through the Kinsmen Foundation Lornie was presented with a computer, printer, scanner set up so that he could communicate and have the computer read all his mail, newspaper articles, books, etc. Lornie did learn his braille but this new technology allowed him to enter a reading world without sight. Lornie had faith in God and was a member of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Wynyard. He attended church faithfully with his mother and attended many church and community events. As Lornie’s caregiver, his mother watched her son become a very independent person even with his restricted vision. She saw him enjoy his music, reading, writing, computer work and its technology. He became very caring about his appearance, his personal hygiene and being active with daily exercises. He was very independent about his daily household routine and chores and looking after her as well. He enjoyed many visits with his wonderful neighbours and made many friends. Marcel was his barber and he enjoyed many visits to that shop and the many outings Marcel and Lil would take him on. This brought much joy to his mother. In 2013, Lornie and his mother moved into Maple Grove Senior Complex. This was a new venture in Lornie’s life for he had to adjust to another new surrounding and give up the privacy of his home. Mary and Lornie enjoyed their daily routines, medical appointments, shopping, business ventures to town and out of town. Their new neighbours at Maple Grove have become their own little circle of friends and family. Lornie was predeceased by his father George in 1975, his infant brother in 1949. He is survived and will be sadly missed by his loving mother and caregiver Mary, his brother Harvey and sister-in-law Ida of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and community friends, his close friends Marcel and Lil Fontaine and all his new friends at Maple Grove. Funeral Service: 10:30 a.m. Friday, August 26, 2016 Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church Wynyard, Saskatchewan Donations in memory of Lornie may be made to the Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church, Wynyard, Saskatchewan
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