Patrick Lane

"Some days there's just too much rain," on CBC radio the voice of Patrick Lane came alive in the dark, grievous morning. He had died the day before on March 7th. After three years of illness and many stays in the hospital, at 79 years old his heart gave out. An Officer of the Order of Canada, a recipient of five honourary doctorates, and the author of almost thirty books of poetry, Patrick has been called the greatest poet of his generation. His last poetry book, Washita, was nominated for the Governor General's Award, which he won in 1978. His second novel, Deep River Night, set in a BC sawmill town, was published last spring. His memoir, There is a Season, is essential reading for those who love the natural world and those who have gone through the pain of addiction. With the help of AA, he lived twenty years gloriously sober. He loved his friends, his garden, his students, and his cats. He cherished his wife and companion of forty years, Lorna Crozier, and even when ill, delighted in visiting his two sons who live in Victoria, Michael and Richard; their beautiful spouses, Lisa and Yen; and their six children: Ava, Finn, Violet, Myles, Jules, and Aishlinn. He valued the support of his longtime publisher and friend, Howie White. Predeceased by his brothers Richard and Michael, every few days in the neighborhood, he met his eighty-one year old brother, John, for coffee. Together, they remembered everything. He is survived by the aforementioned along with his sister, Linda; his other children Mark, Chris, and Kate and their spouses and six children; his first wife, Mary Devoretz, and his second, Carol Lane; and his AA sponsor, Ben.

"The spirit leaves us slowly, forever.

It is the waiting I try to understand, the quietness of that."

Public memorial will take place on April 20 from 7-9pm at the David Lam auditorium, Building A144 at the University of Victoria. In lieu of flowers and for the love of the wild, please send donations to Pacific Wild, PO Box 365, Duncan, BC, V9L 3X5. Phone: 250-597-2480. And buy a book of poetry.