In Memoriam.ca - Always in our hearts

Memorial candle

  • Shelley Moore lit a candle on 12/03/2013:
    "When ever I think about you Uncle Pat, I have to smile. As a child I delighted in your cheerful presence and your patience with a little girl. As an adult, your curiosity with the world around you inspired me. You didn't show fear in the unknown, instead you embraced it, and met it with delight. Your approach to life is how i would like to be. thank-you. love always, shelley "

  • Joan Melanson lit a candle on 12/06/2013:
    "Thinking of you and sending lots of love. "

  • Lisa Haight lit a candle on 11/30/2013:
    "This candle is a tribute to you my dear departed Grandfather whom I treasured most in this world. Now your spirit is free to travel not only the earth but the Heavens as well. The torch which you carried shall live on in us, your dear beloved family. Until eternity Grandpa, love your one and only granddaughter. xoxoxo"

About him

Alexander (Pat) Ormiston

Born: March 17th, 1914

Passed on: November 23rd, 2013

A.W. (Pat) ORMISTON was effectively a centenarian, in his 100th year, a few months shy of his landmark birthday. Born March 17, 1914, in Tantallon Saskatchewan, eldest son of four, to Ruth Winchester and William T. Ormiston, Saskatchewan pioneers. Pat was forever blessed with the curiosity of a youngster, the energy of an adolescent, and the wisdom of an elder. He placed the highest value on family, church, community, and service and lived by his commitments. He was surrounded by 'girls', daughters Judy, Jeanne, Elizabeth and Susan and his greatest love Evie - Evelyn Pretlow Ormiston, originally of New York. Married 50 years, Evie died in 1997. Pat and Evie loved their children, and many friends. Pat graduated from Univ. of Sask. Engineering and served in WWII. He travelled extensively as a civil engineer building roads, pipelines and dams across the Prairies and the North. He was a long time member of the Professional Engineers Association; in charge of Heavy Construction at Piggott Construction before starting his own engineering business. Pat served on church committees at Grosvenor Park United and McClure United, was an advisor for the Meewasin Authority and enjoyed the Canadian Club. He was a founding member of the ROMEO's (Retired Old Men Eating Out) whose weekly luncheons were a highlight. Pat was a 'doer' and a diarist; a first adaptor of technology mastering the computer in his mid-eighties. With Evie, he designed the Ormiston family home where he lived out his long life. He was a fixer, tackling any project; an eager experimenter– learning stained glass window techniques at 95; and after his retirement, a master of the microwave. He loved a big car, a small Whiskey ('two fingers' water), and any size celebration. He kept his family hopping with pursuits, projects and plans. Pat travelled extensively with Evie, to Europe, Africa, Asia the Middle East, and criss-crossed North America from Alaska to Costa Rica. Even during his 99th year, he was on a plane or enjoying a road trip. But Pat, born on a farm, a boy during the Depression, knew the value of a nickel, and was always ready to help anyone in need, keeping an eye out for the less fortunate. His family adored him. He delighted in his four grandchildren Jimmy and Lisa Haight,(Judy and Jim's children) William and Aidan Harradence (sons of Susan and Keith); and his two great grandchildren, Ben and Logan Haight (sons of Jimmy and Jodi). He was a devoted father to his daughters; father-in-law to Keith, Jim, and Brian, brother in law to Betty and Dick Seeler, and a kindly Uncle Pat to Shelley, Peter, Bill, Charles, Anne and Evelyn. His brothers Reverend James (Eleanor and Ruby)and Stewart predeceased him; brother Russell and wife Claire live in Victoria. Pat had a voracious appetite for life, even until his last day, inspiring everyone who knew him. His age was just a number; he was never old in spirit.