Obituary of Lorna J. Offord

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our friend Lorna Joanne Offord on May 25, 2026 in the Killam Hospital.

Lorna was born on February 28, 1944 in Lanark, Ontario to Robert and Edith Playfair. She took her elementary schooling in Lanark and took her B. Ed. at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

She moved to Bentley, Alberta in 1967 to take up a position as a teacher in the high school there where she met her future husband, Ken Offord, a fellow teacher. She and Ken were married in 1968 and moved to Sedgewick later that year to teach at Central High. They also suffered the loss of their only child that year at the age of 3 months.

Lorna taught French and occasionally German at Central. She also served as the advisor to the Student Union and the Graduation for many years. She was also a very active member of the ATA at a local and regional level, serving as Conference facilities co-ordinator for the whole region for several terms. Lorna was also active in the community as a member of the Sedgewick Lions where she served some terms as secretary and participated in the fundraising and social activities of the organization.

Lorna and Ken loved to travel and they often took groups of students to Europe for Easter vacation. They introduced the students to historic sites and the different cultures of the countries they visited, making each trip memorable. They also travelled on their own, spending time in England, Germany, Italy, France and Spain among others. Later they also learned the joys of camping, owning a succession of RV’s and going camping just the two of them or more often with friends.

Lorna was an accomplished hostess and good cook. She loved having people in for dinner or for drinks in the evening. And she kept in touch with former colleagues and friends, keeping up a correspondence by letter or e-mail. In later years she learned to floor curl and spent many hours at the local Seniors Centre or travelling to tournaments in the area. But the greatest passion in her life was dancing. If she could have found a dance to go to every day of the week, she would have gone to every one of them. And when Ken’s health began to fail with dementia and he began to lose himself, she often said that when they danced it was like she had her husband back because he never forgot how to dance. She shared her last dance with Don Cookson when he was 100 and she was 82.

Lorna was pre-deceased by her husband Ken, her infant daughter, her parents Robert and Edith Playfair, her brother-in-law George Offord and her special friend Blaine. She is survived by her brother Rob (Dale) Playfair, her brother-in-law Len (Lynne) Offord, sister-in-law Rilla Offord, son Marc, and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. in the Sedgewick United Church on June 6, 2026. Family and friends are invited for a time of fellowship and refreshments at the Sedgewick Seniors Centre following the Inurnment at the Sedgewick Cemetery.

Memorial donations can be made to the Alzheimer Society of Alberta & Northwest Territories or a Charity of Donor's Choice.