PAT LENON, beloved husband, father, and grandfather passed away peacefully at St. Michael’s Health Centre – Palliative Care Unit, on Sunday June 23, 2024 at the age of 84 years. Pat was a flower lover and a gardener extraordinaire. It is poetic and fitting that he left this realm as we step over the threshold into summer and all the beauty that this season holds.

He is survived by his sisters, Victoria Lenon and Mara Lenon. He will be deeply missed by his wife Josephine Lenon, his daughters Suzanne Lenon (Judy Davidson), Shelagh Lenon (Thomas Elbel), and Natasha Lenon (Holger Kalberg); by his three beloved grandchildren, Willem Elbel (Ife), Grace Elbel, and Lucas Kalberg; by his sister-in-law Annette Lenon, his nephew James Lenon (Katie) and family, as well as his nieces Bobbie Lenon and Shannon Fagnan (Leo). He will also be missed by Jo’s family: His oldest friend Terry Wilson (June), Judith Shandro (Peter), Anthony Wilson (Sage), and nieces and nephews. Pat was predeceased by his parents, Jean (Alverson) and Amby Lenon of Edmonton, and his brother Jon Lenon of Mount Gambier, Australia.

Pat graduated from Gonzaga University with an honours degree in history and with a professional diploma from the Faculty of Education, University of Alberta. He worked in the family floral business before dedicating his life to L’Arche – an international community for people with intellectual disabilities. Together with his family, he founded the L’Arche community in Calgary in 1973. He held numerous leadership roles in L’Arche. In 1996, he and Jo moved to Lethbridge where he was community leader and later mentor to many. He loved his life in Lethbridge. He expressed deep gratitude for the many friends who have supported him, in particular the gang at the Penny Coffee House.

Pat was a gifted florist with an exquisite eye, a skilled whitewater canoeist, an amateur historian, a university basketball aficionado, an avid Edmonton Elks fan, a lover of the finer things in life, of jazz, of road trips, of the wilderness. He knew how to throw a party and celebrate.

He was a steadfast friend to many and especially to folks with intellectual disabilities. He was a fierce letter writer to politicians of all stripes. A thirst for justice and collective liberation shaped his approach to living.

You died in peony season, Pat. We will miss conversations about current events. Roses will always make us think of you. Thank you for teaching us the value of forgiveness and the importance of beauty. Thank you for the gift of seeing the sacred in the everyday. May the circle be unbroken.

A Funeral Service will be held at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2825 – 32 Street South, Lethbridge, AB, on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 1:00 P.M. with Reverend Teresa Hanlon officiating. The Funeral Service will be live-streamed and may be viewed through Patrick’s obituary on the Cornerstone website.

Flowers are gratefully accepted.

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com

• Date : 2024-06-23
• Location : Lethbridge, Alberta