Lorne Albert Cooke

Lorne Cooke

1932 – 2020

Lorne Albert Cooke, age 88, of Swan River, Manitoba, formerly of Alpine, passed away Monday, April 27, 2020.

Lorne is survived by his daughter: Patricia Cooke; grandchildren, Andrew Kobelka, Olya Kobelka, Stewart Thompson and Mitchell Thompson; sister and brothers, Iris Jones, Raymond (Linda) Cooke and Ed (Jan) Cooke.

Lorne was predeceased by his wife; Thelma (Ellingson); daughter: Karen Kobelka; sisters: Joan (Bill) Horsborough, Judy (Dick) Wells, and brother: Hugh (Leah) Cooke.

Lorne grew up on a farm in southwestern Saskatchewan, “up on the Bench” north of Carmichael with both his Magee and Cooke pioneer grandparents nearby. In 1950 he moved to Alberta to work on a ranch west of Longview, where he met Thelma, and they married in 1952. Patricia was born in 1953, Karen in 1956. Lorne started working for BA Oil: first in Longview, then south to Pincher Creek from 1959 to 1965, and finally to Ponoka where the family lived until 1973.  At that time Lorne and Thelma realized their dream of moving to the farm in Alpine, which they had purchased quarter section by quarter section over twenty years. It took a lot of hard work, but they were finally able to live and work where Thelma grew up. Lorne really valued his extended in-law Ellingson family and counted on them as his good friends.  When Thelma died in 1995, Lorne went to Benito where he lived until his move to the Rainbow Lodge four years ago.

As a boy, Lorne worked hard on the family farm, but he also loved roaming the prairie and watching the birds and animals; he continued throughout his life to learn all he could about the landscape and history of all the places that he lived. Lorne loved to hunt, fish, and just explore, and he loved to share these activities with his family and friends. He could tell you how the watershed worked from the eastern slopes of the Rockies to Winnipeg and beyond. Lorne loved to read: especially Canadian authors such as Farley Mowat, Pierre Burton, and Rudy Wiebe; he really loved a good story with a chance to learn some history. Lorne also loved music: he played accordion when he was young, and he and Thelma never missed a country dance.  We always sang on our regular Sunday country drives and on the many long trips across the prairie to visit the grandparents and all the brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Seeing his family was very important to Lorne. Lorne and Thelma made good friends everywhere they lived and enjoyed visiting, playing cards, and sharing meals with friends and family. Lorne was very happy to greet his grandchildren as they arrived, and he spent as much time as he could with them.

When Thelma passed away, Lorne moved to Benito where he lived until 2016.  He gardened, golfed, curled, and bought a camper van, so he could visit his grandchildren in Alberta and his family scattered across the prairie and all the way to the west coast. Lorne also took up quadding, which gave him a lot of enjoyment for many years. As Lorne got older, he still enjoyed spending time with his friends and family, reading, watching baseball, and “country cruising” as much as possible.

In keeping with Lorne’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a service will be held at a later date. If friends so desire, memorial donations in Lorne’s memory can be made to the Swan Valley Health Facilities Foundation Chemotherapy Program.

Swan Valley Funeral Services

363 Kelsey Trail, Swan River, Manitoba

204-734-5775  www.swanvalleyfuneralservices.com

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