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
36 Responses
I met Lorna recently, in 2024, through the Victoria Master Gardeners Association. She was always smiling and open, laughed readily and was very easy company — rare traits. So sad.
Murray, my heart goes out to you during this difficult time. I can only hope that your wonderful memories of great times together will bring some solace as you grieve the loss of Lorna. I knew Lorna as a colleague and a friend. She was delightful and her passion for those in need, particularly those with mobility challenges was both heartwarming and encouraging. She was a force that moved the public transit industry toward a more equitable service for all people. The world needs more individuals like Lorna. Peace.
I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my dear friend Lorna from Edmonton Transit Service (ETS), someone I had the privilege of knowing for many years. Working together at ETS, we shared memories, challenges and always supporting each other through the ups and downs. Lorna wasn’t just a colleague but a true friend someone who brought kindness and dedication to everything she did. My heartfelt condolences go out to Murray and the family. May her memory live on in the hearts of those they touched. Rest in Peace!
My deepest condolences to Murray and family. Lorna played an important role in my life as a strong supporter/board member of an environmental organization I worked for. Lorna’s support and enthusiasm for the work we were doing was so important to the success of our projects. I later worked with her at ETS in Community Relations and appreciated her positive, honest approach to our work. Lorna was a wonderful mentor, colleague and friend. May you rest in peace Lorna, you are missed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. . .
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.