It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Lorna Stewart of Victoria, BC, on December 25, 2024, of a rare and aggressive form of liver cancer. She passed away in the arms of her loving husband Murray Gordon.
Lorna grew up in a small farming community in Winchester, Ontario. After high school, she trained as an X-ray Technologist at Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston, Ontario. While there, she attended Queen’s University where she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Sociology and then a Master’s of Public Administration. After obtaining her Masters, she left her x-ray career and moved into public health and safety roles.
In 1989 Lorna moved to Edmonton to take on leadership roles, initially with the Injury Prevention Centre, University of Alberta and followed by Human Resources and Occupational Health and Safety, U of A Hospital. It was here in Edmonton that she met Murray and they fell in love. They were two individuals who shared a common soul. They did everything together. Where one was, the other wasn’t far behind. They retired to Victoria in 2015 and enjoyed the area to its fullest. They were fortunate to have shared many great adventures in their 34 years together and their passionate love for each other carried through to the very end.
Victoria was the perfect home for Lorna as she could indulge her passion for gardening. Here she obtained her Master Gardener designation with the Victoria Master Gardeners Association (VMGA) and dedicated much of her time to not only her own garden but in volunteering with the VMGA, soon becoming a valued member of the board and contributing to many of the Association’s successes.
Lorna loved to volunteer and was always looking for ways to contribute. One of her many accomplishments as a volunteer was co-chairing a group that established a new community health centre in North Kingston, Ontario. In 1986 with Lorna’s help, the Province of Ontario approved funding for the North Kingston Community Health Centre. It continues to operate today as the Kingston Community Health Centre. Her volunteering also included becoming president of the Local 451 union at the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston and as President of the Kingston Flying Club where she learned to fly and obtained her Commercial Pilots Licence. She became interested in the environment and public transit and joined the Sierra Club and the Edmonton Transit System Advisory Board. She was a member of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) as well as many other organizations. Lorna believed in lifelong learning and used volunteering to assist her in her own growth plans while making huge differences in the communities she lived in.
Lorna was also a strong advocate for public transit and especially accessible transit for the disabled. In 1998, she turned this passion into a career change and took on roles with Edmonton Transit where she was Director of Community Relations and then Director of the Dedicated Accessible Transit Service (DATS) before she retired. She did continue to consult in this field after her move to Victoria as transit was one of her most rewarding careers and personal passions.
Throughout her life Lorna touched the lives of everyone she met and never hesitated to help those around her. She worked hard to create a better world, to reduce her footprint on the planet and to create fairer, more inclusive communities and workplaces.
Lorna is so deeply missed by Murray, her family and many, many friends and colleagues across Canada.
Her family would like to thank the amazing doctors, nurses and staff at the Victoria General Hospital for the care, compassion, and dedication they showed Lorna.
Donations, if desired, may be made in her name to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Rick Hansen Foundation.
A Celebration of Life will be held in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens, 4664 Falaise Drive, Victoria, BC, on Saturday, March 1, 2025, 2:00 pm.
For those unable to attend in person you may view the service by following the Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 871 0861 3081
Passcode: 356596
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Lauren Datoff
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Katie Jones My heart goes out to Murray and to Murray and Lorna’s family at this time of such sadness. I had the great fortune to know Lorna over the last five years through the Victoria Master Gardener Association. We worked together on various projects and her enthusiasm, warmth and her sense of fun touched me deeply. Not only was she incredibly organised but she also cared about everyone in the organisation and loved everything gardening. I really miss her.
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Charlene Sharpe My deepest condolences to Lorna’s family. I had the privilege of knowing her through public transit. Her passion was infectious and her dedication to such a worthy mission was inspiring. She will be missed by many people across this country.
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Robert Delage It is with great surprise and sadness that I’m learning the passing of Lorna. My deepest condolences to the family. Lorna’s love for transit was contagious and I will remember fondly our exchanges on the various subjects that I had the privilege to discuss with her.
Lorna you may rest in peace, you have done great thing in your life.
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Victoria and Terry Luxton My deepest condolences to Murray and family for the loss of Dear Lorna. She was the best supervisor and then friend I was so privileged to have. Lorna was very kind and respectful to everyone she met and included an invitation to my husband Terry and I to her garden parties she held in the summer. I considered her my friend. When husband Terry and I went to Victoria we always stopped at Murray and Lorna’s house in Victoria to visit and see their garden. It was the highlight of our visit to Victoria. On our 40th wedding anniversary Lorna and Murray celebrated with us at a lovely restaurant on the ocean front. Visiting them was the highlight of our visit to Victoria. No words can express our sadness of Lorna’s passing. . .
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Sarah Smith I also had the privilege of knowing Lorna through the Victoria Master Gardeners. Her welcoming smile, incredible stamina for encouragement, positive energy and genuine kindness were inspirational. Just a really really lovely lady who I will miss greatly.
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Bjorn Radstrom This is such awful news.
Lorna was absolutely one of my favourite people in the transit industry. I loved getting to know her and working with her through CUTA. She leaves a great legacy of improvements that really made people’s lives better in Edmonton, and across Canada.
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Mary Ellen MacCallum My deepest condolences to Murray and Lorna’s family on their loss. I knew and worked with Lorna as a Master Gardener. She was a lovely person who inspired us all with her energy, passion and commitment, and helped us see the beauty that surrounds us. Her spirit lives on in that beauty.
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Ann Keir Lorna was one of those people, whom you instantly knew was caring and compassionate.
Nothing was too much bother for her, and she took care to follow up with you to ensure that all was well.
She was truly a giver and her warmth and caring will be missed as well as her sweet smile.
My thoughts are with her partner, Murray .
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Susan Hamilton Deepest condolences to Murray and to all of Lorna’s family and friends. I was just getting to know Lorna over the past 2 years, when she kindly offered to be my Master Gardener mentor, having spied my University of Alberta affiliation in my email. She was a wonderful garden mentor, sharing her beautiful garden with me on several occasions, and simply radiating warmth, care, and happiness. We were so happy to realise overlapping histories — growing up in Ontario, professional moves to Edmonton, and the wonder of having both landed here in Victoria. Our experiences and loves of both cities were the source of delightful, meandering conversations over her wonderful coffee. I will miss her very much. May she rest in peace.
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Shannon Van Dorp My condolences, I am sorry to hear this. I worked with Lorna on a project while with the City of Edmonton. She was strong and formidable, caring and compassionate, and I very much enjoyed working with her. My sympathies to Murray and family. Shannon Van Dorp
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Michael Roschlau Lorna was a kindred spirit in so many ways. Her selfless promotion of public transit – and accessible transit in particular – made her an invaluable contributor at CUTA. She leaves a legacy far beyond what most of us appreciate.
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Kevin Brown My deepest condolences to Murray and the family on Lorna’s passing. I was very much saddened to receive this news. I worked with Lorna when she was Director of Community Relations at ETS both as a volunteer at community events like the Historical Transit Tours, Klondike Days and the Lunar New Year, and as a Member of the ETS Advisory Board. Her energy and enthusiasm were boundless, she had the ability to motivate people and get things done. She brought awareness and community involvement in public transit to Edmonton in a way that had never been done before. Lorna enriched the lives of all those around her, and it was a great joy to have known and worked with her. She will be dearly missed.
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Nancy Ortenburg Dear Lorna
Your vibrancy and enthusiasm were such an asset to the CUTA family and I enjoyed connecting with you at conferences.
Deepest condolences to your family…your spirit and light will shine on.
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Terilynn Lefebvre My deepest condolences on the loss of Lorna. I feel blessed to have known and worked with her, she will always be remembered. May her kind sole rest in peace.
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Dave Reage I’m so sad to hear of Lorna’s passing, I knew her well through our roles in the transit industry and CUTA. When I was just starting out in my career she was always so welcoming and willing to help.
My condolences to her family.
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AJ Ryland My sincere condolences to Lorna’s family and Friends. I had the great privilege of getting to know Lorna through our work in public transit. She was certainly a leader in our industry and someone who welcomed newcomers to the industry with opens arms.
May Lorna rest in peace.
AJ
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Keren Hickman Sending my deepest condolences to Lorna’s husband Murray, family and friends.
Lorna was such a very personable Lady with a lot of vibrancy and enthusiasm in all her undertakings as a VERY active member of the Victoria Master Gardener Association, which is where I met her.
She is so sadly missed by all, but always remembered for her kindness and positivity, along with her love of plants and gardens.
Kind Regards
Keren Hickman
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Ruth Merriott I did not have the privilege of working closely with Lorna, but the phrase “never hesitated to help …” resonated with me. While she was on the executive of the City of Edmonton Management Association, she gave generous, practical and confidential support to me regarding a difficult situation. I have thought of her many times since then, and remain forever grateful. Condolences to those close to her, and thank you for sharing more of her very admirable life.
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Steve New I’m so sad to learn about Lorna’s passing. I knew Lorna as a passionate advocate for accessible public transit for persons with a disability. At the national level, she championed discussion on transit for persons with a disability in the Canadian Urban Transit Association, of which I was Chair. She was a thoughtful leader who made a difference to many Canadians.
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Janis Noble Murray, my heart and thoughts are with you and your family. ♥️
Lorna was such a lively soul with so much passion. Her passions were many from gardening to public transit. She was the driving force behind many projects that left transit and accessible transit for the disabled in a better place. Not just in Edmonton but nationwide. Her legacy lives on.
It’s through ETS that our paths first crossed. In our initial encounter, she discovered I was the voice of ETS…her signature smile beamed! We worked together for years and as time marched on it turned into a friendship. She encouraged me in my career and later my gardening endeavours.
Stay strong, and know that friends and the whole transit family is beside you.
Janis Noble
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Yuval Grinspun Lorna Stewart’s contributions to public transit in Canada are substantial. I met her in the mid-2000s when she was at DATS and I was a young professional. We kept in touch and I always appreciated her willingness to teach and share. She started collaborating with us at LTRT in 2019, eagerly supporting personal journey to start something new. She became a key contributor to many important paratransit projects across the country. She was always such a positive force — her expertise, quirkiness, and smiles will be sorely missed.
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Ernest Bastide I first met Lorna in 1999 when her and I sat on the ETS Advisory Board. She was a strong advocate for accessible public transit. She was a director and excellent administrator and had the ability to get things done. She negotiated with the University of Alberta to have the students’ ” U Pass” and that was one of her many accomplishments. She designed the “Cow-mute” program and the Captain Cow-mute mascot. Never stopping in 1999 she put in place the “Historical ETS Bus Tours” which finished in 2013. There is not enough space for me to list all the programs that she was involved with. I sincerely enjoyed our professional working relationship and of course her wonderful smile. My deepest of condolences the family.
Ernest Bastide
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Wade King My deepest condolences to Murray and to Lorna’s loved ones. She was a wonderful colleague and friend. I will miss her.
Rest well, Lorna.
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Cindy Bencic Deepest condolences to Murray and family on the loss of Lorna.
Lorna was a former co-worker at ETS.
Cindy Bencic
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Vicki Gudelj Deepest condolences to Murray and family on the loss of Lorna. Lorna touched many lives and contributed to many as well. God bless her in her eternal rest. May she rest in peace.
My deepest condolences to Murray and families. I had the honour of doing Lorna’s nail and spa services since 2020 before recently going on mat leave. Seeing Lorna every 2 weeks always brightened my day, she would often show up with a rosemary bouquet she grew or tomatoes from her garden. She would educate me on various subjects as she was a wealth of knowledge, or we would simply talk about her involvement in the Master Gardeners, book club, transit consulting or boating with her beloved husband.
I’ll truly treasure all the time I was lucky to spend with Lorna.