Lorne Lopatka
On March 26, 2023, Lorne Lopatka passed away at the age of 65 with his family by his side.
Lorne will be lovingly remembered by his partner of nearly 50 years, Loretta, and their children Larisa (Joe) and Angela as well as his beloved grandchildren, Meggan and Noah, to whom he will always be their “Pa.”
Lorne was predeceased by his parents, William and Pauline, stepfather, Joachim, brother Rodney and sister Patricia.
He is survived by sisters, Linda, Cynthia (Melvin) and brothers, Larry (Edith) Dan (Sowanee) and James, as well as many nieces and nephews and their families.
Lorne, aka “Big L,” will also be greatly missed by numerous friends, past colleagues and by all those whose lives he touched.
To respect Lornes’ wishes, cremation has taken place and no services are to be held.
We invite you to please share your condolences, fond memories, pictures and stories of our dear Lorne with us at: Remembering Lorne
Dear Loretta and family,
I am so sorry for your loss.
Hugs and prayers 🙏
My sincerest condolences to Loretta and the family. May your memories bring you some peace.
Big L: (aka Lorne)
The first time I met you I said to myself; who is this loud, sarcastic, drinking, smoking, opinionated know it all. It was my equal and my new friend. Over 50 years later I am extremely sad that there won’t be a 51 st. From playing hockey against you to hanging out at your house in Parkdale; then high school; your apartment on 105 st. to your house in Clareview then to St. Albert its been an honor to call you a friend and someone I could always count on. From playing crib to playing cards to playing golf and to listening to each others bull over 5 decades it was a great ride. I will miss you more than you will ever know. My deepest sorrow to all the Lopatka family.
Loretta and family:
I am so sorry for your loss. I have not seen much of Lorne these past couple decades, however I do have many great memories going further back and Lorne was always good for a lot of laughs and had a great sense of humour. Gone way too soon. I hope you find comfort in your memories.
Loretta and family, please except my condolences for your loss. I met lorne thru my friends dan and barry. We all became good golfing buddies. Lorne had a big heart and a fantastic sense of humor. He would always ask us how his butt looked in his golfing shorts. I will never forget and charish the memories. Rest in Pease my friend.
Lorne was my ‘little’ brother by 14 months. From my earliest childhood memories to this last Sunday when he passed away, I loved my Brother.
As children, then as teens and then as young adults, Lorne and I were inseperable; we shared absolutely everything together. From sharing the same bed, wearing each others clothes to whispering our deepest secrets, Lorne and I were a team. Even though we grew up to be very different young men, we had that bond between us, however strained our relationship might have become. I could always count on Lorne and he could count on me. We went to the same school played hockey and football on the same teams. We had the same friends and shared the joy at the birth of our children.
Then one day without explanation, all of that changed. Why? I do not know. All I do know for certain is that I loved and missed my brother every day of his life and continue to now even after he is gone. I have shed a million tears for my brother and will likely shed a million more until it is my time to join him.
I love you Lorne.
Lorne was my younger brother, my roommate and my friend. I have always loved him.
Our Dad, Bill, passed away when I was fourteen and Lorne was nine. We lived in Parkdale community on the corner of 89 street and with eight family members squeezed into a small house, it was a necessity to share bedrooms and as such, Lorne and I were roommates for several years. We got along great: Lorne helped to keep the room neat and tidy and for the most part was respectful of his teenager brother; I, for my part, endeavored to be kind and supportive of my younger brother. On occasion when I had a high school friend sleep over, Lorne was okay with sleeping on the floor (pillow and quilt inclusive). Time passed, Lorne and I became close friends, and we developed a brotherly bond that lasted a lifetime.
There was a short period of time, following Dad’s death, when I made an effort to be a father figure to Lorne; teaching him basic things like knowing the difference between right and wrong and accepting responsibility for irresponsible behavior. Ha! Good luck to that! Lorne was often in a hornet’s nest of trouble and I had my moments as well. Our relationship evolved to just being friends, brothers who supported each other. Easier.
Lorne and I shared a lot in common, especially a love of sports. Lorne played baseball, hockey and football with the occasional street fight thrown in. In his mid years Lorne moved on to tennis, racquetball and golf. He was a good athlete, an intense competitor and a great teammate. Lorne always made time for a beer or two following a game. Perhaps his proudest sporting moment was coaching his girls, Angie and Larissa, to a provincial girls softball championship. Priceless.
Lorne often did things the hard way – he was his own man- and to his credit he enjoyed career success as well. He struggled to find credits at Vic Comp high school, yet managed to graduate with a business degree at NAIT. His working career started with a sheet metal job at Fort Mac before moving on to management at Grey Beverage. From there he moved on to Molsen’s Brewery and then forward to other management positions culminating in an administrative position with St Albert school board. Nice roll Lorne, especially considering your Parkdale beginnings.
Finally, dear brother, thank you for making the time to share in my life. Your presence on the sidelines at high school football championship games in Northern BC and Saskatchewan was almost as important as the games. Almost. And again, thank you Bond 007, for checking out our journey in Samui, Thailand. Always grateful to share.
And to Loretta, your children and your wonderful grandchildren, please know that we share in your grief, but we also share the blessings and celebration of Lorne’s life journey.
Much love,
Dan and Saowanee
This is such a thoughtful tribute to him Uncle Dan. Thank you.
I am so sorry to hear for Lorne’s passing. I will miss our times together where we would have non stop laughter with constant one liners….. he was a Very Good Man with a great sense of humour and a kind sincere friend. My sincere condolences to Loretta and his entire loving family. Know that he is in a better place now. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Warren Garten and Sabina Zutter.
My heartfelt love and hugs to you all. 💔♥️💔♥️💔♥️
My sincere condolences to Loretta and all of Lorne’s family. I know Lorne loved you all, he was a good friend for many years and I have many fond memories.
This is thE best set of condolences I have ever seen. The bros history, amazing.I met Lorne when he came to work with us at Sturgeon School Division about 2011 or 12. Can’t rememebr exactly. I hired Lorne. The Supe (CEO) said: Are you sure? And I replied: Absolutely.
I wanted a guy to kick ass with the lazy, call bullshit on incompetence and just generally be all over our Maintenance Dept. I got the right guy. For the next several years we were together almost daily, five days a week. Lots of fun, many dust-ups. Lorne was proud man but he could laugh at himself too. That’s what we shared. A goofy Maritimer and a Parkdale hood. Go figure.
When Lorne’s back and knees quit on him and he went off work, somehow I always had some reason to stop by his place in St. Albert every so often… FOR COCKTAILS. I still have his wood clamps. What’ll I do with those?
To my breakfast partner at Ricky’s in St. Albert: I SALUTE YOU, MY BROTHER.
Dear Loretta and Family, We are thinking of you and your family during this sad time. Sending our deepest condolences and love. May all of your memories and good times bring you some peace. ❤️❤️❤️
He was a loving husband and father.
He is now with the Lord, safe and feeling no pain.
Our love and condolences go out to all the family.
May God rest his soul and keep the family strong through these tough times.
My sincere condolences to Loretta and family on the passing of Lorne. Lorne and I worked together at NorQuest College. Lorne was more than a coworker he was a good friend. He was a jovial soul and made the workplace enjoyable with his constant humour and witty comebacks. You just never knew what Lorne was going to come up with next! Although we didn’t keep in touch very often after he left the college, I often thought of him and the good times we shared at work. I was shocked to hear of his passing. I will always remember Lorne. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lorne’s family at this difficult time.
Lorne was my little brother. I loved and respected him and will continue to do so.
I called him “a king amongst men” and he called me MT (Mother Theresa). That pretty much explains our relationship.
I miss him. My heart is broken. I grieve him.
“……Grief is the price we pay for love”
Love
Linda
Sincere condolences to you Loretta and to your daughters and their families. It is with a very heavy heart I sit here trying to offer words of comfort. You have been blessed with a wonderful husband, friend and neighbour. Lorne will always be remembered as our dynamic, opinionated, funny and kind friend and neighbours. Heaven truly took an angel. I remember all the times Lorne was outside teaching the grandchildren how to cut the grass, change a tire, and learn to be respectful to us oldsters! He was always a bright beam of light and we will forever remember his warm kind demeanour, and being the gathering place for beers and debate. He will forever have an impact on us. May all your wild and fun and even ordinary memories with Lorne sustain you. We are always here for you Loretta. Xxxooo Jim and Judy Kolasa
So shocked to hear of Lorne’s passing. Hold the memories that you all created in your heart.
Lorne was the only person who’s Shoes I ever wanted to try and fill. He looked past short comings a thousand times and kept encouraging without ever being direct about it. (Well, except for that time that I ate his hamburger helper “pre dinner”. He was pretty direct that time about how dangerous of a thing it would be to ever do it again.
I saw within him, and all of his outcomes, a path to becoming a better man, Father and husband and brother.
Some of the deepest understandings of my self came from just observing him.
When I knew him, He and the people closest to him often sang for the sake of singing, and danced for the sake of dancing. Watching Lorne sing Paradise by the dashboard lights with Loretta on karaoke night, while wearing a threadbare, nearly see through bathrobe…He seemed to walk his path without ever paying much, if any, attention to the fact that he was walking on any path at all. I belive this is why, to me, he always seemed so far ahead down his road…and doing this while ballancing and carrying along with him the things he loved and genuinely laughing along the way.
I still have a lot to learn Lorne.
Thank you for beliving in me when I could not find things within myself worthy of belief in.
Thank you for going easy on me at every step.
Thank you for Carrying my burdens when I set them down.
And thank you for intentionally throwing your golf game that one time with self deprecation… It took a long time but gave me a real insight into what you had always meant by “the only thing we have is perspective”
The only reward for spitting in your own face because of a triple bogey on hole 1 is shooting hole 18 with quite a lot of spit on ones face and an almost gaurenteed chance of another tripple bogie.
You will be missed by many and live on through the people you shaped and the kindness you showed.
My deepest condolences to the Lopatka Family.
I met Lorne through high school football at Vic Comp. He played middle linebacker. His toughness, passion and determination made him a great teammate. His humor and loyalty made him s great friend.
We stayed somewhat in touch as adults and reconnected later on through golf. Some great golf trips featuring plenty of jokes, the odd birdy and one or two adult beverages:)
Hopefully you are playing a great course somewhere else now Lorne. You will be missed here.
My deepest condolences to you and your family Loretta!
I have not been able to leave a message as I haven’t accepted the passing of my really good friend Lorne. It still isn’t quite real for me. Another reason is the lack of any words that can actually describe Lorne in life or death. He was so unique and nothing can replace him and his life here on this planet. I will forever be thankful for having him and his family as part of my life. I will laugh at all the things reminding me of him and they are plenty. Love your bling ho. Heaven has gained a precious angel. Til we meet again dear Friend.
I just read this and am very sad. Working at the Catholic School Board I met Lorne and we had many breakfasts together, and no one, I mean no one could make me laugh like Lorne could, we had so much fun! I will miss this guy even though he referred to me as wanker. Love ya Lorne!
It is 4 months to the day my close close oldest friend passed away. I have waited a time for me to get my head around him passing. This was a shock to losing the closest thing to a brother I ever had. I knew Lorne for 53 years, and we were very tight. It was 1966 when I met him at Parkdale School, we were in grad 4 and we hit it off immediately. Even then there was the feel of dry humor , sarcasm
and a love for music. Lorne was always a big sports guy and continued that into being a high school football star .We . We enjoyed going to concerts at a very early age, seeing The Who in 1966 at The Edmonton Gardens, Jethro Tull with The Eagles as the warm-up in 1972, and The Beach Boys at Rexall in 1975 just to name a few. we continued see concerts together when we could.
Lorne was very close to my mother, and stepfather, coming on family trips to Lethbridge when were in grade 5 and twice later in our teens with a bunch of us having very wild great times, and having all aunts, uncles, and cousins loving him. Just a week ago I was visiting cousins at a 90 birthday. I had not seen them for 34 years and we talked about a birthday party we were at in 1966, we were kids. my cousin mentioned she remembered the party and that she had a crush on Lorne Lopatka!!! 50 years later she still remembered his full name.. always made an impression .even at 9 years old.
Lorne moved in with my family a few times when he was teen, and later in his 30’s with I and Jacquie. It was a safe place for Lorne , I never asked and I and my family were there to support him always. We loved him. He had a key to my house and could come and go even when he was not living there., We would sometimes come home and Lorne had popped in with a friend just hanging out. Listening to music , having a drink.. He was family and even when I would not see him for a period, either of us could call and it was like it was yesterday. As time As passed. we went on different paths, but our trust and friendship never faltered. We shared so many memories before we were even 18, and then memories as we got old older. Fun times , and also sad times.
When my mother mother passed I wept in his arms at the hospital He always there for me as I was for him. When she passed he walked with my mother and the doctors to the basement, and then the next day accompanied me and Jacquie to the crematorium. A classy , caring person!
I could write a deserving book on my relationship with Lorne .A part of my heart is forever gone and I will try and still get my thoughts and memories together as I move on.
I kept in contact with him through emails and texts through this horrible time. We would share many personal things over the years, and I miss him a great deal.
My heart goes out to Loretta ,the girls, and grandchildren, and all of his family. I cannot imagine what you have and will go through. I am so so so sorry for you.
Loretta we all love you!!!
I could keep going ,there is so much more. But I will stop.
My Dear Brother Lorne Has Left. You Will Be Forever Missed and Remembered
Michael
A year has passed, and a day or week has not gone by without thinking of Lorne. A song, a record, a movie, someone landscaping, James Bond, a certain car, football game, a piece of art, a concert, someones piercing green eyes, laughter,HumZinger and so much more brings Lorne into my thoughts. He will always be there, hard for him not to be. A tremendously distinctive person, with a big soul! I miss my oldest friend, and I am still hearbroke