August 13, 1944 – December 27, 2012
After a wonderful and full life, Tony, age 68, passed away peacefully at the Kiwanis Pavilion in Victoria, BC. Tony was born in Fritzlar, Germany during WWII to Jacoba and Heinz.
Tony is survived by his loving wife of 27 years, Cindy Lazaruk. He is predeceased by parents Jacoba and Gerrit Lobbezoo, his father Heinz Oswald Knofel and auntie Henrika Pudek.
Tony is lovingly remembered by sister Helga (Jan) Bentley of Germany, brother Fred (Tina) Lobbezoo of Kamloops, mother-in-law Eva Lazaruk of Winnipeg, sisters-in-law Wonita (Victor) Giacomin of Burnaby, Susan Lazaruk of Vancouver, Linda (Mark) Murray of Kamloops, brother-in-law David Lazaruk of Winnipeg, nieces and nephews Nicole, Yvonne, Matthew, Liam, John Jerry, Chrissy, Stacey, Jeffrey, Bradley and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
Tony was a man of intelligence, character, energy and compassion and he will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Tony had a love for the great outdoors and would go camping every weekend if he could. He travelled extensively, including a solo trip across the USA by motorcycle; a year long trip with Cindy across Canada and the USA; European trips to Germany & France; annual trips to Lake Tahoe, Nevada for skiing and the big island of Hawaii for diving. He was an expert water skiier, snow skiier and achieved his PADI Master Scuba certification in San Diego. His love of the outdoors, travelling and sports was a perfect outlet for his other passion; photography. Tony was very proud of his photos; particularly his underwater photos, for which he won awards. He even had one photograph used by Nikon in one of their advertisements.
Tony had such a unique and interesting life, which started in Germany, included a few years in Holland and ended up in Canada. Tony was a master story-teller and loved sharing his life experiences with anyone who would listen. One of our favorites is when he gave John Wayne directions to the post office in Victoria. As his dementia progressed, his stories got more elaborate, until he was telling everyone how he had met Elvis in Hawaii; swam with the polar bears in Antartica and our favorite, how he drove his rental car from Europe to South Africa.
Special thanks to the Alzheimer’s Society of Victoria, Pathways and extra special thanks to Maureen, Robin, Tereza, Lorriane and the staff at the Kiwanis Pavilion. Also to my family, to the Tarts, and Janice for all their support.
A Memorial Service will take place on January 19, 2013 at 2:00pm at McCall Bros. Floral Chapel, 1400 Vancouver St., Victoria, BC, (250) 385-4465 with a reception to follow.
Online condolences may be offered through www.mccallbros.com.
Donations can be made to any of the following charities in Tony Lobbezoo’s honour.
Children’s Wish Foundation
#119- 4240 Manor Street
Burnaby, BC, V5G 1B2
604-299-2241
http://www.childrenswish.ca/en-bc/donate
Alzheimer Society of BC
#202 – 306 Burnside Road West
Victoria, BC, V8Z 1M1
250-382-2052
Oak Bay Kiwanis Pavilion Foundation
3034 Cedar Hill Road
Victoria, BC Canada V8T 3J3
Tel: (250) 598-2022
Fax: (250) 598-0023
https://www.canadahelps.org/DonationDetails.aspx?cookieCheck=true
21 Responses
I thought of you with love today
but that is nothing new
I thought about you yesterday
and days before that too,
I think of you in silence
I often speak your name
All I have are memories
and your picture in a frame.
Your memory is my keepsake
with which I’ll never part
I thought of you with love today
I have you in my Heart.
Can’t believe a year has nearly past. I miss you.
Love always, Cindy