Lorretta passed away Thursday, November 26, 2020 in Kelowna, BC. Lorretta was born June 21, 1934 in Macklin, Saskatchewan, moved with her family to Penticton at the age of 12 and she has been a BC girl ever since. After graduating from high school, Lorretta did her nurse’s training in Edmonton before returning to work at Penticton Regional Hospital. While there she met Ted Kampa, who worked as PRH’s accountant, and the two were married on November 9, 1957. After the birth of their first child, Kathleen, they moved to Merritt, BC where two more children were added to the family: Marianne and Kurt. In Merritt, Lorretta worked as a registered nurse at the hospital, then later as a public health nurse. She created both Nicola Valley Homecare and Meals on Wheels, where Lorretta’s passion for helping others flourished. She was an amazing mother who was fully involved in all the children’s activities and was an active member of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. Lorretta’s volunteer work was well known in the community and she was awarded Merritt’s Citizen of the Year in 1980. She was often reaching new heights with many of her endeavors (being, among others, the original ‘Cake Boss’), even though she was ‘terrified’ of heights. Lorretta was also known for her impressive gardening and cooking skills and she was an active golfer and curler. Sitting down and relaxing was not easy for her, unless it was with a glass of wine amongst family and friends.
Lorretta and Ted were proud of their children’s accomplishments and were especially delighted to become grandparents where she was the world’s most loving and caring grandma. After retirement, Ted and Lorretta returned to the Okanagan in 2004 making West Kelowna their home where volunteer work and grandparent duties continued. Lorretta is survived by the love of her life and husband of 63 years, Ted (and they fondly referred to each other as “Honski”); her children, Kathy (Michael) Conway, Marianne (Glen) Auch, and Kurt (Lisette) Kampa; and her grandchildren, Jay and Sean Stevenson, Emily and Spencer Auch, Max and Finn Westenberg, Patrick Conway and Cynthia Conway Gorman.
A private Funeral Mass was held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in West Kelowna on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. with interment in Westbank Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Lorretta’s memory to the Canadian Red Cross at www.redcross.ca.
To send condolences please visit www.hansonsfuneral.ca.