Lorne John Smith became a gift to this world on December 15, 1949. He was born and raised in the Melville area, which is where he met and married his wife of 42 years, Diane.
Through his earlier years, Lorne held various occupations, but he was always a farm boy at heart. He farmed for most of his life, and then in 1988, he also became a school bus driver. For the next 25 years, he was known to many students as ‘Mr. Smith’. He often chuckled over just how entertaining a bus full of children can really be.

Lorne and Diane were blessed with three children of their own and then thirteen grandchildren. Lorne had a fun-loving quality about him and a playful glint in his eyes that endeared him to you but at the same time, often made you think that he just might be up to something. This made him a truly unique man! He found such joy in sharing his childhood stories and adventures with his own family. He often had his grandchildren looking at him with a curious, cautious look and wondering if he was telling them the truth or spinning a wild tale. He kept them guessing, and he made them stop and think, but they still hung on his every word. Lorne always tried to ensure that his grandchildren enjoyed the farm as much as he did and that they very seldom left without a tractor ride.

Lorne was diagnosed with lung cancer in August of 2011. He had a difficult road ahead, but he fought like a true soldier. After lung surgery, he was cancer free until July 2014, when he found out that the cancer was back. He was a stubborn, strong-willed man who endured his health troubles as long as he could, but the battle with his body and the combination of COPD and cancer just became too much, and on April 9, 2015 it was time to rest and find peace; his battle was done. He passed away peacefully in the hospital surrounded by the love and support of his family.

Lorne was predeceased by his parents John (Jack) and Ottellia (Tillie) (nee Rostad), mother-in-law Margaret Lawson, and his sister Joyce and her husband Larry. He is survived by his wife Diane (nee Lawson); their daughters Joanne (Grant) Eberle and their children Brady, Kolby and Taylor, Shelley (Shane) Quist and their children Sasha, Orion, Tristan and Darian, and his son Calvin (Diane) and their children Kaden, Kali, Tori, Jada, Tara and Jazer. Lorne also leaves to mourn his brother Don (Elaine) Smith, nephews Blaine, Kelly and Todd, his sister-in-law Dawn (Willie) Badowich, niece and nephew Brandon and Kristina, and his father-in-law Elmer (Veronica) Lawson, as well as numerous great-nieces and nephews and his many cousins and friends who he held very dear.