It is with heavy hearts that the family of Lorne Buckler announce his passing. A lifelong resident of Red Lake, Lorne was a man who worked hard, played harder, and cherished every moment spent with his family and friends. Once you made a friend of Lorne, you knew you had a friend for life.

Lorne didn't just watch life from the sidelines; he was always in the game. In his younger years, he was a fixture on the basketball courts and baseball diamonds, and as the seasons of his life changed, so did his sports. He was a familiar face at the curling rink and spent countless hours on the golf course, always chasing that perfect round. Even when life handed him significant physical challenges, Lorne’s competitive fire never dimmed. He refused to let obstacles stand in his way, adapting his love of the rink to competitive wheelchair curling.

His passion for sports wasn't just a hobby - it was a legacy. That same competitive spark and love for sports can be seen today in his children and grandchildren, who carry forward the lessons of teamwork and determination he modelled so well. Whether he was cheering them on from the sidelines or watching the pros on his 80-inch TV, Lorne was their biggest fan.

When he wasn't competing, Lorne was seeking out the best atmosphere Northwestern Ontario had to offer. He was a regular at BluesFest and Country Fest in Thunder Bay, where his love for music and a good crowd came together.

To his friends and the local hunting crew, Lorne was a man of steady nerves and even better stories. The memories from those seasons - the long treks, the successful hauls, and the laughter shared in the evenings in the main cabin are legendary and will be told by his crew for years to come.

More fond memories were made on family camping trips, where the journey to find the ‘perfect campsite’ and back the trailer into it was often an adventure in itself. Whether it was memories of running out of gas on the highway, navigating the quickest route, or settling in for the night, those trips were filled with the kind of laughter and fun his children will hold onto.

Lorne was the cherished son of the late Myrtle and Ralph Buckler, and the devoted younger brother of the late Ron Buckler. While he was an electrician at the mine by trade and a hoist man later on, his true vocation was being a father and grandfather. He was the proud and loving father of Brandy (James), Eric (Shawna), and Jennifer (Robert), and the one and only Papa & Grandpa to Aidan, Danielle, Elliot, Ashley, Sarah, and Jenna. While he will be profoundly missed by his children and grandchildren, as well as his cousins and many nieces and nephews, who know him as Uncle Buck, they will forever carry his lessons and laughter in their hearts. To them, he was a teacher of life's most important skills: how to improve your swing or read a green, how to bait a hook, and most importantly, how to live life with a full heart.

Our family would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Holly and the staff at St. Joseph’s Care Group for the compassionate and outstanding care they provided to Lorne during his final days.

In keeping with Lorne’s wishes, cremation has taken place, and a private family gathering will be held at a later date to celebrate his life. The family asks that the next time you’re at the rink, on the 18th green, or listening to a song at sunset, you think of Lorne and raise a glass in his honour.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Lung Association, 502-885 Meadowlands Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 3N2, or https://www.lung.ca/donate.

“You win some, you lose some, and the rest are rained out.” The game may be over, but the stats and the stories of Lorne will be told for generations. And what a game it was.