Obituary of Lorne Garry FAIR

FAIR, Lorne Garry 1937 – 2015 Lorne passed away on December 18, 2015 at the Sagewood Seniors Care Centre in Strathmore. He was born in Calgary on March 22, 1937, the only child of Gladys (Parsons) and Leland Fair. When his father was in the Navy, Lorne attended grade one in Halifax. He spent the next year living with his Aunt Leila and Uncle Hugh Wilson on their farm near Mossleigh, Alberta and attended grade two there. He loved this time with his cousins in the country. When the war ended, he rejoined his parents in Calgary and attended several schools there before graduating from Crescent Heights in 1955. He worked for several oil companies, including Husky Oil, where he was a Landman for ten years. It was here in 1967 that he met his future wife, Lynne Mercer, from Strathmore who was working in the Geology Department. They were married on April 20, 1968 and both continued working for Husky until 1972. They left the city to begin a new venture of farming north of Strathmore, starting “from scratch” to fulfil a desire Lorne had for becoming his own boss. He designed and built a unique round barn and they started raising sheep and cattle, and ventured into a custom haying business. Being self-reliant and pragmatic, he also possessed skill in several trades and believed he could accomplish his dream with hard work and determination. He was a very practical problem-solver and could build or fix almost anything. With Lynne as his patient and faithful workmate, they farmed for over thirty-five years before retiring into Strathmore in 2007. They always shared a love of music. For many years Lorne was an enthusiastic drummer with dance orchestras, namely the “Valleau Combo” and the “Night Hawks”, playing steadily both in Calgary and many surrounding areas. Lorne was predeceased by his parents, Leland in 1976 and Gladys in 1978. He is survived by his loving wife, Lynne; three children, Taralynn (Kim) Craig of Coaldale, Cindy Burgess of Calgary, and Gary (Olga) of Fort Saskatchewan. He has seven grandchildren, Jeffrey Burgess, Jacqueline (Dan) Burke, Rhéanna (Jeff) de Boer, Tamara (Troy) Craig, Gregory (Nicole) Craig, Brendan Fair, and Shannon Fair. He also has 5 great-grandchildren, Emily, Dustin, and Brenden de Boer, and Alex and Esme Burke. A Celebration of Lorne’s Life will be held on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at Strathmore United Church at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made directly to the Strathmore Handibus Association (680 Westchester Rd, Strathmore, AB, T1P 1J1). To send condolences, please click on the link below. Send Condolences