Obituary of Lorne Heller

Heller, Lorne Nelson ~ Lorne Nelson Heller of St. Jacobs died in the early morning on September 4, 2012. Lorne will be missed by his wife of 67 years, Mildred Sophia. Lorne was the proud and loving father of Keith Heller and his wife Dolores Smith of Hudson, Quebec, and of Karen Cronin and her husband Timothy of St. Jacobs. Grandpa will also be greatly missed by Tracey Cronin (Craig Hanley), Matthew Heller, Patricia Cronin (Kyle Grundy), Christine Heller (Neil Bercovitch), David Cronin (Juli) and Joshua Heller (Marie Mathieu). Liam, Sophia, Nora (Hanley), Avery, Alexa, Stella (Grundy) and Caelem Cronin were also very lucky to have known their great-grandfather. Lorne was predeceased by all of his sisters: Erma Schmidt, Marjorie Schumacher and Eileen Lee and by his grandson, Kevin Cronin. Lorne was born in St. Jacobs on October 20, 1917 and grew up in the rural village. After the outbreak of the Second World War he enlisted in the Canadian Medical Corps and served as a medic with the 9th and 24th Field Ambulance in Sicily and Italy, and later in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. During the war Mildred Schweitzer sent regular letters and packages to remind him of home. In the fall of 1945 Lorne came home and promptly married Mildred, his sweetheart, on November 10, 1945. Lorne and Mildred bought and settled on a small farm, just outside of St. Jacobs. They enjoyed sharing their home and hospitality with family and friends. Lorne farmed, drove the bus for Elmira District Secondary School and worked at the St. Jacobs Home Hardware store to support his young family. About 1953 Lorne and Mildred opened "Rural Hardware". The hardware store served the local community for nearly 40 years until Lorne retired in 1992. Throughout his lifetime Lorne was active in his community as a leader and member of many different organizations including the St. James Lutheran Church Council, Elmira Fair Board and the St. Jacob's Lions Club. For the last few years of his life Lorne lived, together with Mildred, at Columbia Forest Long Term Care. Keith, Karen and the rest of the family would like to give our thanks for the compassionate and patient care that he received at Columbia Forest. Lorne's Family would also like to extend their deepest and most heartfelt thanks to Mary-Jane Berry and Michelle Delsaut, Lorne's dedicated, kind and patient caregivers, who ensured that Lorne experienced a full life, even in these last years. A special thank you, as well, to Mr. Henry Gilles, neighbor and long time friend, for helping with the odds and ends that helped Lorne and Mildred stay in their home for so many years. Friends are invited to share their memories of Lorne with his Family during visitation at Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira on Friday, September 7, 2012 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Lorne and Mildred were life long and active members of their church, St. James Lutheran Church in St. Jacobs. Lorne's family would be delighted if you would join them for the funeral service to remember and celebrate Lorne's life on Saturday, September 8, 2012 at 11 a.m. at the church followed by interment in St. James Lutheran Cemetery. Donations in his memory may be made to Canadian Diabetes Association, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 469 Elmira Poppy Fund, or to the St. Jacobs Lions Club. Service Summary Visitation: Friday, September 7, 2012 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the funeral home ~ Funeral Service: Saturday, September 8, 2012 at 11 a.m. at St. James Lutheran Church (1407 King Street, St. Jacobs, ON N0B 2N0) ~ Donations: Canadian Diabetes Association (14 Irvin St., Suite 1, Kitchener, ON N2H 1K8 519-742-1481 www.diabetes.ca) or Royal Canadian Legion Branch 469 Elmira (Poppy Fund, 11 First St. E., Elmira, ON N3B 2Z5) or to the St. Jacobs Lions Club