Orville Nicholas Trischuk

“He was beautiful, engaging and complicated.” – Sarah Everett

Orville Nicholas Trischuk was born on April 8, 1952 in Tisdale, Saskatchewan. His parents were Mary Trischuk (née Handzuk) and Nicola Trischuk. He had one brother, Theodore.

He is survived by his four daughters, Lorraine, Candice, Arielle and Calista along with his two sons, Armin and Rigil, and his four grandchildren, Dylan, Elara, Knighton and James. Orv didn’t keep in regular contact with all of his family but he loved them wholly and intensely.

Orv passed away on the morning of November 1, 2023 on All Saints’ Day. As an unknown saint, he entertained and bewildered everyone he met. He was charismatic, funny and smart. He could talk about any subject with ease. He loved vintage cars, computers and politics just as much as he loved movies, courtroom shows and salt. But no matter the subject, he was passionate and fiery.

When he was a child, he moved from a farm near Melfort to Saskatoon. He lived across from Saskatoon City Hospital and attended City Park School. Every summer he would stay with his grandparents, Nellie and Peter Handzuk, and his dog Neil. He absolutely adored his grandmother and made it known to everyone.

When he finished high school, he attended Saskatoon University. But life had other plans and he dropped out once he became a father and husband. He had two beautiful daughters, Lorraine and Candice with his wife Christine. While there were good years, there were also bad years. During a turbulent time in his life, he lost his grandparents and his marriage.

He was separated from his children which left him inconsolable. He truly did everything he could to be reunited. The loss drove him to drink and resulted in a long, complicated relationship with alcohol.

Despite the tumultuous events, he met his future wife, Maggie. One night on a business trip to Toronto, he went for drinks with his co-workers and met the love of his life while she was waitressing. His friends obnoxiously flirted with her but he waited until she stepped away from the table before making his move. And so began the long saga of Orv and Maggie.

Maggie introduced Orv to her brother, Peter who lived in Edmonton. It didn’t take long for the two of them to become best friends. Orv and Peter were two of a kind and shared so much in common, including their temper. It meant big fights followed by easy reconciliation. No matter what happened, they were brothers.

Part of Orv’s charm was his passion for new experiences. So when a friend asked him to drive down to San Francisco, he did so gladly. He took the opportunity to start fresh and introduce himself with a new name, Cameron Tanner. While he was there, he made close friends with a woman named, Theo and a man named, Ken. They rented a house together in the famous Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood and “threw big, glamorous parties.”

He eventually made the decision to move back to Canada but remained conflicted. He loved San Francisco and spoke of it decades later as the best time of his life.

He found a good paying job with Moore Business Forms in Calgary. He took time to travel Europe and see iconic sights. He loved visiting Italy and swimming in the ocean. He adored France and couldn’t get enough of the culture. He dreamed about Switzerland even when he was older. He had memorable experiences wherever he went.

He eventually married his old flame, Maggie and settled down with his new family including his step-son, Sloane and his son, Armin. They moved to a beautiful house next to Fish Creek Provincial Park. He volunteered to coach baseball and pushed Armin and Sloane to enjoy the sport as much as he did. Orv and Maggie had three more children, Arielle, Calista and Rigil. He lovingly referred to them as the “three steps”.

One of his personal accomplishments was being a part of the grassroots movement, the Reform Party of Canada. He absolutely loved politics and adored Preston Manning. He canvassed, organized and campaigned. He did everything he could to support the burgeoning political party.

He became fascinated with computers. As the technology was becoming more and more accessible, he decided to run his own BBS (bulletin board system) where he hosted discussions on the paranormal. His love affair with computers lead him to starting his own business, Integral Computer Services.

He did consulting, networking and troubleshooting for businesses that needed computers. He bought all the hardware, set it up and continued to provide support. He was an asset to every company that hired him. One of his biggest clients, turned friend was former NHLer Jim Peplinkski. Jim owned a vehicle leasing company and Orv did all his computer work.

Maggie supported Orv in chasing his dreams. She was an eternal optimist and he was a pessimist. In some ways, Orv and Maggie were meant for each other. They could talk about anything. But despite their overlapping interests, their general outlook and communication styles diverged. Ultimately, they were like oil and water. Keeping them together took a lot of vigorous effort and it inevitably made more sense to stay apart.

After a rough separation, Orv attempted reconciliation but it wasn’t in the cards and the two of them remained friends/mortal enemies. It made things interesting for their children.

Maggie moved the children to Edmonton and for a time, Orv became more familiar with the No.2 highway between Calgary and Edmonton than most truck drivers. He drove back and forth for 10 years. He rented a house in Warburg and when he saved enough, bought a house in Millet. It made his commute slightly easier and he was close enough to Pigeon Lake to warrant buying a boat. He took it out as often as his children would allow.

Weekends were filled with good food and fun. He loved his family and had the opportunity to witness his son, Armin bring a beautiful baby girl in to the world, Elara. And he finally reunited with his daughter, Candice and his grandson, Dylan.

As his youngest children entered high school, his business started slowing down and he needed to sell the boat and the house.

To celebrate the end of a tremendous era, he travelled to Australia and New Zealand. In typical Orv fashion, he decided to drive almost the entire length of both countries and saw the sights from north to south. No distance was too far for adventure.

When he returned, he lived with Maggie’s sister, Fran. She endearingly referred to him as her seventh brother. He lived there for a short time but staying with her affected him deeply. He thought of her kindness years later.

He rented a small townhouse in Edmonton which had just enough room for him and his adolescent children. But he spent most of his time with his son Rigil, his undisputed favourite child.

They moved into a house in southwest Edmonton. He continued to spoil Rigil fiercely and often called him, his angel. Rigil in turn took care of him. He kept Orv laughing and smiling. He helped him learn to appreciate the simple things in life and try to look on the bright side.

Shortly after he moved to the new house, Orv developed heart issues. The doctor discovered he needed his aortic valve replaced. Following a rough recovery from surgery, he continued to have heart issues. When his heart was slipping into atrial fibrillation again and again, he underwent cardioversions to correct the rhythm.

The continued stress on his heart pushed him into heart failure. As his health declined, his children gathered around him. In a terrible moment of great heart ache and pain, he realized he was no longer able to look after Rigil and so his daughter, Arielle took him under her care. While his other daughter, Calista took care of Orv.

He sold the house. Calista and her fiancé, Dan worked tirelessly to move all of his belongings out. He spent the next year and a half floating around, figuring out his place in the world as a free man.

Orv bought his dream boat in Vancouver and wanted to live on the ocean. But his time away from his family was too difficult and he decided to sell the boat and return to Alberta. He wanted to be in Calgary with Calista, Dan and his grandson, Knighton. And when he wasn’t in Calgary, he was visiting Rigil, Arielle, her husband Michael and his grandson, James.

Then one morning while in Calgary, he was found unconscious in his hotel room. He was transported to the Foothills Medical Centre and moved into the cardiology unit. Calista stayed with him day and night, giving him the boost he needed.

By the weekend, he was looking better. His alertness and cognizance returned, his condition was improving and it was starting to look like he would recover. But the doctors discovered he needed a surgery he would not survive.

His family rushed to his side in his last hours and reminisced about his adventurous life. He was surrounded by light and love. He laughed, he smiled and he peacefully slipped away on the morning of November 1, 2023. Rest in peace, Saint Orv, King of the Road.