WESLEY C. LORIMER

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WESLEY C. LORIMER Wesley Crawford Lorimer O.M. died March 2, 2010 at 96 after a distinguished career in education. He was predeceased by his wife Myrtle after a happy marriage of 65 years. He leaves his three children, James (Nancy Sewell) Halifax, Rowland (Anne Carscallen) Coquitlam and Elizabeth (Betty) (Larry Dyke) Rutherglen, ON and grandchildren Eric and MifAnne, Stefan, Conor and Julia. He will be missed greatly. Born 19 April 1913, the oldest of five, Wes's mother died when he was seven but the family continued to live in a shack on the prairies. Wes went to Normal School where he met Myrtle and began teaching in 1931 in rural Saskatchewan. In 1935 he started teaching in Regina and became a vice principal. Nine years after they met, Wes and Myrtle finally could afford to get married and did so in Regina 28 June 1940. In 1942 he joined the RCAF, served as a navigation instructor and later as an admin officer. At the end of the war he was appointed to the staff of the Moose Jaw Normal School. He obtained leave and with DVA assistance attended Teachers College at Columbia University, New York. He obtained BA and BEd at the University of Saskatchewan and MA and EdD from Columbia. He also received honourary doctorates from the universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba. In 2003 he was appointed to the Order of Manitoba. In 1949 he was Director of Research for the Winnipeg School Board and became Superintendent in 1953. He moved his family to Churchill Drive, a suburban neighbourhood along the Red River where he and Myrtle made many lifelong friends. At this time school enrollments grew from 30,000 to almost 50,000 in 1967 when Wes was invited to become Deputy Minister of Education in Manitoba. Also he and Myrtle celebrated the centennial by building a dramatic modern home overlooking again the Red River with the address of 100 on Agassiz Drive. As a member of the Universities Grants Commission he became chair and retired in 1981. Wes had many opportunities to travel and to participate in the work of Canadian educational associations and often served as chair. One major appointment was as a Commonwealth Fellow which entailed a three-month educational visit to Australia with visits to Japan and Samoa to study educational TV. In 1975 he was a member of a team to study education in China. After retirement Wes and Myrtle were snowbirds in Maple Leaf Estates, Port Charlotte, FL. There Wes enjoyed a lively social life and welcomed visits from his family and beloved grandchildren. Wes's artistic side found expression in pottery, stained glass and especially metal sculptures which decorated their home and lawn. Only when health concerns caught up with them did they leave their treasured Winnipeg home and move to Coquitlam where they lived close to son Rowly and Anne who gave him unstinted love and care. In his final years Wes experienced the decline of old age with acceptance and in his last days told his family that he was packing his bags and getting ready to move on. Twilight and evening star And after that the dark May there be no moaning at the bar When I embark. Memorial service 6 March 2:00 p.m. in Port Coquitlam and another service to be held in Winnipeg at a later date between the snow and the mosquitoes.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 05, 2010