Ian Harold Orum

It is with great sadness that the we announce the unexpected passing of Ian Harold Orum.  Ian passed at the Lacombe hospital, February 13th 2023 at the age of 71, with his family by his side.

Ian is survived by his loving wife Deborah, children Joseph Orum and Gina (Trevor) Pylatuik, along with grandchildren Cora and Alyssa, sister Eleanor (Buzz) Unwin, half brother Francis (Josephine) Morgan, numerous neices and nephews and grandpuppy Elsa.

He is predeceased by his mother and father, Jean and Harold, daughter Jacilyn Dawn and nephew Bradley Unwin.

Ian was born October 11th, 1951 in Lacombe Hospital and remained in Lacombe for his whole life. He had a long career working for the County of Lacombe as a Heavy Duty Mechanic, recently retiring after 44 years. He also enjoyed being a volunteer fire fighter and was awarded The Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal from Her Honour, The Honourable Lois E. Hole Lieutenant Governor of Alberta for 20 years of service. He also volunteered for Ducks Unlimited a number of years after he reitired from the fire department.

Ian also Withstood the Ultimate Test of Tolerance and enured the Great Beer Strike of 1980-81 when workers walked off the job July 17, 1980 and didn't return till the following February. We have the certificate to prove it.

Ian enjoyed watching Nascar and cheered for the 'Intimidator', Dale Earnhardt. He also liked watching the Edmonton Oilers and fondly remebered the days of them actually making the playoffs. During the winter his favourite place to be was in the Carribean, adventuring, snorkling and taking numerous pictures of each subject to get the perfect shot.

His granddaughters Cora and Alyssa wanted to share some special memories of their Papa.

Cora: He ate a banana every day to help with his hearing. He took pictures of every single statue in O'ahu. He gave us a whole dresser full of D&D books. The giant (9500) piece Disney puzzle he made. Always wanting to take us on a trip to the Caribbean. Our orange juice and Taco Time addiction. Chunky noodle soup. On our trip to O'ahu he found my new favourite song Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder. When he and the fliglht attendant made jokes about the safety presentation. Always gave Elsa treats.

Alyssa: Birthday Coins, liked spicy food, his back and butt print on the gaming chair, he ALWAYS had cookies for snacks. His love for NASCAR races and just cars in general. His wooden stool he sat on to make room for everyone at the table. His love for geese/birds. His food closet (held lots of different snacks). Him spotting Canadian Pine in Hawaii. His love for twizzlers, ginger and jelly bean. He liked his coffee cold. His humour and laugh. His bond with Elsa (playing games and giving treats). His books, country and western music, dairy queen soft ice cream. The gifts he gave us (rocks, coins, etc.) and World of Warcraft.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at Wilson's Funeral Chapel (6120 Hwy 2A Lacombe).

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in honour of Ian may be directed to the Canadian Cancer Society at http://cancer.ca or to Ducks Unlimited at http://ducks.ca

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ian Harold Orum, please visit our floral store.