LORNE ALEXANDER WALLACE

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LORNE ALEXANDER WALLACE On April 26, 2012, after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer, Lorne Alexander Wallace passed away in his adopted village of Dunning, Scotland. He leaves behind his beloved wife Patricia, brother Don (Donna) of Gibson's, B.C., sons Steve (Loretta), Erik (Heather), daughter Kathy (Scott) and grandsons Scott and Drew. He was predeceased by his parents William John Wallace of Grandview, MB, and Mary Jane Wallace (Souter) of Dunning, Scotland. Lorne was born May 26, 1930, in Winnipeg and was raised in St. James. He graduated from United College in 1951, and soon became a radio announcer in Flin Flon, MB. While there, he met and married Natalie Margaret Wonitowy. Lorne accepted an offer to work with the CBC, and they moved briefly to Edmonton before returning to Winnipeg. He and Natalie started a family, and Lorne moved into television as a host on Spotlight with Lloyd Robertson, Jack Wells, and Ed Russenholt. During his 20 years with CBC in Winnipeg, Lorne became a public affairs producer, and co-created the 24 Hours show. In 1972, Lorne and Natalie divorced. He left Winnipeg for a CBC executive position in Edmonton. He married Phyllis Hilderman. After eight years, disillusioned with duties so far from the hands-on action, Lorne fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a news correspondent. He went right to the action in Southeast Asia and covered the refugee crisis emerging after the wars. He also conducted an exclusive interview with Indira Gandhi. Wanting to expand his skills, Lorne began freelance work on several projects including training videos for Syncrude, and over 30 nature films as a writer, sound technician, and narrator. He and Phyllis divorced, and Lorne spent more time working on his projects. Then in 1982, Lorne met Patricia Geldart, a school teacher, and they were married the next year. They lived in Edmonton, spending their spare time travelling to Central America helping with various humanitarian projects. Later they helped sponsor refugees into Canada from those troubled countries. Lorne and Patricia moved to Winnipeg in 1989, and continued their initiatives for social change. They also began to travel, and on a trip to his mother's birthplace in Scotland, Lorne discovered he liked the village. They started spending more time there. It was during this time that Lorne was diagnosed, and was given a very short prognosis. He fought the cancer for almost 18 years. He did not let it slow him down, or get him down. He participated with Creative Retirement, met regularly with the CBC retiree group, learned how to play the penny whistle, and continued his refugee work. He also used his energy to promote support for those affected by the disease. Lorne will be remembered for his stoic acceptance of his illness and his generous sharing of his time and talents. A celebration of Life will be held on June 9, 2012, at 1:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church, 603 Wellington Crescent. Flowers gratefully declined. Lorne's favourite charities were Medecins Sans Frontieres and Amnesty International.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 02, 2012