Obituary of Alojz Vendramin

ALOJZ “LOUIE” VENDRAMIN After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Louie, passed away peacefully on Monday, November 4, 2013 at the Pasqua Hospital surrounded by his loving family at the age of 76 years. He was predeceased by his father Anton; mother Josefa; brother Emil; sister Danila; brothers-in-law, Tony, Mirko, Rudy, Adam and Dan; and sister-in-law Lena. Left to cherish his memory is his loving wife of 50 years, Lydia; daughter Danila (Greg) Gibbs; sons, Tony (Shelley) and Dean (Ashley); grandchildren, Kayla (Kyle) Eberle, Nikki (Giovanni), Krista (Michael), Billy, Xander, Zach and great-grandchild Lyla; brother Ivo (Danica); sister Dragica Macus; brothers-in-law, Ferg (Pat) Schmidt and Martin (Portia) Schmidt; sisters-in-law, Hermine Schmidt, Jenny (Roman) Mahnic, and Gertrude Korosec. Louie will also be missed by numerous nephews, nieces and friends in Canada and Slovenia. He was born March 3, 1937 in Kojsko, Slovenia. His childhood in Slovenia occurred during WWII and taught him many life lessons. This experience made him appreciate the simple things in life. Although he lived in a place that was enriched with beautiful orchards and vineyards, Louie did not agree with the communist way of living in former Yugoslavia. He escaped to Italy where he lived in a refugee camp in Naples for three years before coming to Canada. Once here he met his beautiful wife Lydia at the Trianon Ballroom. They were married on July 20, 1963 and were blessed with three children. In 1971 Louie opened up A&C Blacksmith Shop where he practiced the art of metal work, which provided for his family. In the early years there wasn’t a new house in Regina that didn’t have one of his railings or one of his Christmas tree stands. Now his survey pins have been used all over Saskatchewan. Louie was one of a kind; he was hard-working and fun-loving. He enjoyed drinking wine, good conversation, Italian music, travelling, and his shop, but most of all he enjoyed his family and friends. He loved his wife Lydia dearly and always said she was his angel on earth. Louie was always so proud of his children and grandchildren; he would do anything for them. His favorite times were our annual camping trip and our Saturday picnic lunches, where he would go to the Italian Star Deli and Oskar’s to gather the goods for our feast. His most memorable trips were back to Slovenia to visit with his brother, sisters, and their families. Through the years, and especially when he was diagnosed with cancer, it was his faith in God that helped him through his times of trouble and gave him strength to carry on. Louie always said he didn’t need to buy a lottery ticket because he had already won when God gave him his two hands so he could work. Amazingly, until about two months ago that’s what he did - work. There was no retiring for him. Louie was truly an amazing man and we will all miss him so much. “You didn’t deserve what you went through, so God gave you a rest, His garden must be beautiful for he only takes the best!” ~BOG POZEGNI~ Prayer Service will be held at Speers Funeral Chapel, 2136 College Avenue, Regina, SK on Friday, November 8, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held at Canadian Martyrs R.C. Church, 1932 – 1st Avenue North, Regina, SK on Saturday November 9, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. The family wishes to extend a special thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff at the Allan Blair Cancer Centre and the Palliative Care Unit at the Pasqua Hospital. Their support and kindness through the years and at this time has been amazing. Louie always wanted to say a special thank you to Dr. James Carter for the surgery he did five years ago, that gave him a chance at fighting this awful disease. In lieu of flowers, donations in Louie’s memory, may be made to the Allan Blair Cancer Centre, 204 – 3775 Pasqua Street, Regina, SK, S4S 6W8 or the Palliative Care Unit at the Pasqua Hospital, 4101 Dewdney Avenue, Regina, SK, S4T 1A5. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.speersfuneralchapel.com