Lorne Austen BAIRD

LORNE AUSTEN BAIRDPassed Away August 10, 2012 at WCGH, Port Alberni at the age of 92Lorne was predeceased by his daughters Beverly and Barbara, and his siblings Winona, Stewart, Evelyn, Agnes, Gerald, Jessie and Sylvia.  He is survived by his wife Ellen, they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this past June; children Bette, Lorne (Willie), David, Ron (Dana), Lana Phillips, Lois Snaith (Mitch), Jeannie (Clayton); eleven grandchildren Brent, Brooke, Darryl (Trish), Colleen, Cameron, Gareth, Jessica, John, Connor, Darren and Paige; three great grandchildren Codi, Kyle and Cara.Born February 5, 1920 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, the oldest son of eleven children to James and Virginia (Stansfield) Baird; Lorne had 4 brothers Stewart, Gerald, Leo and Alvin and 6 sisters Winona, Evelyn, Agnes, Jessie, Sylvia and Marie.  Lorne grew up in the Davis area about 10 miles south of Prince Albert, attending St. Andrews School # 8 starting in 1926 with 8 or 9 students and finishing in 1934 with 45 students and one teacher.  As a young man he worked for several farmers and in 1937 on the Shellbrook Highway, Saskatchewan for 25 cents an hour.In 1940 Lorne enlisted with RCNVR in Regina, training on the West Coast and to Westdale College in Hamilton for anti-submarine detector training.  He spent 6 months on the West Coast aboard a ship and then to the east coast on several ships.  He was stationed on the HMCS Napanese for 2 ½ years; he sailed from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Great Britain with C-3 escort.In 1945 Lorne was discharged and went to work for the Prince Albert Lumber Co. in the millwork shop, during this time he received his Journeyman Carpenter ticket.On June 20, 1947 Lorne married Ellen Brown.  He built their first home on River St E and then moved to their 2nd home on 6th  E St in Prince Albert.  Lorne was involved in St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church and joined the Masonic Lodge.  He enjoyed fishing and hunting in northern Saskatchewan.  A cabin which he built on Christopher Lake provided many summers of enjoyment.In 1962 Lorne started his own business, Baird’s Woodworking and in 1968 he moved his family to Port Alberni.  His time in the Navy was a great influence on his decision to move to the west coast.Lorne built his home and shop on 3 acres on McKenzie Road next door to Ellen’s sister and husband, Muriel and Hank Guldager.  Baird’s Woodworking was a successful business for Lorne.  He retired in 1983, but did continue to work in his shop.During retirement Lorne kept busy with beekeeping, gardening, fishing, hunting and travelling.  He was active in the Masonic Lodge and Knox Presbyterian Church until his passing.A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 PM - Thursday, August 16th at Knox Presbyterian Church – 4850 Regina Avenue with a reception to follow.  It would please Lorne very much for his family and those that knew him to join together; he always loved any chance to get together with people to reminisce and discover new things.