Hartley Loraas
1942 – 2016
We sadly share our mourning of the loss of Hartley Loraas, who left us on July 8, 2016 in Trail B.C.
Hartley will lovingly be remembered by his sister Rona Loraas in Vernon, his niece Kristy Jackson in Trail, his nephew Colin Jackson in Clearwater, his nephew Kary Loraas in Kimberley, and numerous relatives.
He was predeceased by his brother Rod Loraas, and his parents Chris and Roy Loraas.
Hartley enrolled in a business program at SAIT after graduation but returned to Kimberley after his first year to partner with his Dad in the family business – Rocky Mountain Sports Ltd.
He decided to sell his interest in the business, and spent over three years travelling and working in Europe. When he returned, he attended Simon Fraser University to obtain his teaching degree, and there found his true life calling.
Hartley joined the Business Education staff of Templeton Secondary High school in Vancouver in 1977 and was beloved by his students and admired by his friends and colleagues. He was a member (usually the chair person) of almost every school committee (including King of Year End car rally), was promoted to Business Dept. Head, elected President of the BC Business Education and served on the Curriculum Implementation team, delivering workshops to teachers around the province.
Despite all the above professional accolades, he was most proud of the school store he implemented at Templeton School, selling school rings, clothing, snacks, etc., where students could actually experience what he was teaching, (stocking shelves, pricing, reordering, profit margins, financial statements, etc.) When he retired from Templeton in 1999 to move to Clearwater, his dedication to teaching continued – he taught business computer courses for TRU at the local community skills centre and helped instruct high school curling classes.
Hartley was a loving and giving man, with a great sense of humor, and an enormous heart for others, but he was also a very principled person who would not tolerate racial discrimination, foul language and, much to his niece's and nephew's chagrin, tattoos. One condolence message we received compared his mannerisms to Cary Grant – a class act – a true gentleman.
He enjoyed cooking, sharing, and consuming good food, wine, cheesecake, and after dinner Spanish coffees – second only to his love for Andrew Lloyd Webber operas. He thought nothing of travelling to several different cities to view the same production with a different cast.
Hartley was an avid reader with a particular interest in history, both family and World War 2. He left us with exceptional family tree records, and a collection of 400 books on the history of World War 2.
Hartley also loved fishing, and even though his categorized tackle boxes were annoying, he consistently won many “first, biggest, most” family competitions – maybe there was some merit to his philosophy, “If you want big fish, use big lures”.
He enjoyed all sports – mostly curling, and his mastery of a PVR and scheduled viewing was something to be commended – it allowed him to capture every sport event, wherever, at any time, from the comfort of his armchair.
We have many cherished memories of Hartley as he left such an impression on our lives, and so many others.
You will be forever and so … sadly missed.
At Hartley’s request there will be no funeral or memorial service.