Obituary of David Lorne Hannah

HANNAH, David Lorne passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of his family and Lord on January 26, 2023 at the Regina General Hospital in Regina, SK after complications from open heart surgery. He was 78 years old. He was the beloved son of Lorne and Dorothy Hannah born on April 2, 1944 in Oxbow, SK.

Dave is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Camille, eldest son, Curtis with wife Kimberly and their children Rachael, Jenae, and Danaek, daughter Christine with son Marcus, and Sheldon with partner Steph and children Taryn and Tayla. He is also survived by his sister Rosalyn Martin (Michael) and his brother Tim Hannah (Cindy) along with numerous nieces and nephews.

He is predeceased by his mother Dorothy (nee Pedlar) and father Lorne Hannah.

In the book of John 21:25, John describes his writing about Jesus like this: “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” That is what writing about David’s life feels like, a small glimpse of a full life with no ability to encapsulate the whole of the man that was Dave. This small snapshot begins at…well…the beginning.

Dave was born in Oxbow, SK but spent most of his boyhood in Shaunavon, SK and at the family cabin on Lac Pelletier. As a youth, he was an all-around athlete and became skilled in whatever he put his mind to learn, but especially loved lacrosse, hockey, football, golf, and ping-pong. During his last year of university, he traveled Europe (a gift from his parents) with his buddy, Dave Busse, and visited 42 countries!

While teaching in Assiniboia, SK for a few years, Dave met the love of his life, Camille Chabot. Eventually the two married in 1968 and made their life with family and friends in Swift Current, SK.

Dave had a long, successful career as an educator and impacted many youngsters in his role as principal of Saint Joe’s, and as a shop and middle school teacher at Fairview, Irwin, and Elmwood. He had a soft spot for troubled boys and made many special connections that left a lasting impact. This knack for the downtrodden didn’t just stay at school but extended into the community. There were times when only a few knew of the kindness he had paid to another, and no doubt many times where none of us knew how he helped others. That was Dave.  

Not only did he teach, but he obtained his journeyman papers and spent summers in construction, running his own business during his downtimes from education. He built his own A-frame cabin at Lac Pelletier, SK. Spending time with family and friends at the cabin he built on Lac Pelletier was where some of his fondest memories were. There are numerous homes built in Lac Pelletier, Swift Current, and that of his children’s that contain Dave’s fingerprints.

When not busy working at one of his professions, you could easily find Dave fishing or hunting. A consummate fisherman and bird hunter (upland game), Dave was an avid enjoyer of the outdoors and wildlife, which was evidenced by his lifelong support of Ducks Unlimited. As much as he loved the outdoors, he also found time to cut a rug and dance Camille around the dancefloor or beat others at bridge and wizard – two of his favorite card games.  

Dave was a big kid at heart when it came to his sense of humour. Several folks have been on the end of one of his many pranks and he has been called a “stinker” more than once! He kept this childlike humour until the end. One of the top things people recall about Dave was his laugh and giggle that would get others smiling and laughing too. That was Dave.

Once retired, Dave and Camille spent 10 years as snowbirds in Arizona and made many great friendships and memories there before staying permanently at home in Canada. Too many adventures and fun times to recount them all.    

In the fall of 2015, Dave and Camille’s life changed drastically as Dave had a massive stroke with only about a 10% chance to live. We continue to thank God that he survived and that we had more time with him. Dave had always believed in God and was saddened when others did not have a faith in Him, but during this time received Jesus as Lord and Saviour and his faith grew to a much deeper place with God. With that renewed faith and hope, Dave worked hard to regain many of his abilities after his stroke with Camille as his coach and number one cheerleader. They made quite the team! For the last 7 years they enjoyed life together with loved ones continuing to have nature as the main backdrop.   

His celebration of life will be held Saturday, February 25, 2023 at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Swift Current, SK. Pre-service prayers begin at 9am followed by mass at 10am. There will be a luncheon following the service at the church’s hall for all who would like to visit and reminisce and have an opportunity to share their stories of Dave.  

Donations in David's memory can be made to Ducks Unlimited Canada (Mail: PO Box 1160, Stonewall, Manitoba R0C 2Z0 Online: https://support.ducks.ca/give/283238/#!/donation/checkout?utm_source=website&utm_medium=web&utm_content=img&utm_campaign=help )