Dr Lorne Gordon Irvine, 1950–2024
Dr Lorne Gordon Irvine passed away peacefully at home on 23 February 2024. He was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, to R. Keith and Phyllis Irvine on 13 September 1950.
Lorne graduated from Estevan Collegiate Institute in 1968, then went to the University of Saskatchewan to follow in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps by becoming a pharmacist and returning to Estevan to work in the family pharmacy. Lorne returned to university a year later to pursue a career in medicine and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine in 1979. During medical school, he spent some time in Honolulu learning marine medicine, as well as training in scuba diving. He then started his family practice in Nanaimo, which also included marine medical certification.
Lorne enjoyed numerous activities, many of which he continued throughout his life. He was always physically active; even as a youth, he would run through the valley near his home. Lorne also enjoyed spending his childhood summers at White Bear (Carlyle) Lake, boating and swimming. His love of boats and water continued into his university days when he and his brother James would go on wilderness canoe trips in northern Saskatchewan.
Lorne continued running, taking long walks, playing squash, and skiing. He upgraded from a canoe to a small yacht, and he and his partner, Sandra, enjoyed many summers boating around the Gulf Islands, staying at various marinas. In winter months, they often chose the warmth of Mexico.
Lorne was very proud of his girls, Leah and Diane, and was so pleased to have them living within easy visiting distance. The birth of his first grandchild, William, also pleased him immensely. Watching William grow and seeing him celebrate his first birthday brought Lorne great joy.
Lorne is survived by his partner, Sandra Backman; daughters, Leah (Dave) and Diane (Jay); grandson, William; siblings, James (Trudy) Irvine, Betty (Glen) Trowell, Doreene (Ken) Menz, and Keith (Cheryl) Irvine; and stepdaughter, Lisa (Dan).
A celebration of life will be held on 11 May 2024 at the Nanaimo Yacht Club.
—Sandra Backman
Nanaimo
hidden
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. |