Lorna J. Krugel (nee Thompson)

life story

A Tribute, to a beautiful woman with a kind heart and a sharp tongue

We honour Lorna Jewell Krugel (née Thompson), who died peacefully almost a year ago, on July 31, 2025. Her caregiver-daughter and her friend Alice were both at her side when she took her last breath, weeks before her 84th birthday.

About Lorna

Lorna was known for her striking looks, petite five-foot frame, quick wit, sharp tongue, stubborn disposition and impeccable manners. Some of these things changed with time and illness, yet a rebellious nature remained. Her kinder, better self would have apologized for cussing profusely in her final months.

Looking presentable mattered to Lorna, who insisted on having near-perfect hair, even when circumstances hardly warranted it. She appreciated a matching outfit, disliked bold colours and immodest clothing, loved Kenny Rogers, admired Dolly Parton’s talent (not her style), and declared war on every bug and spider she encountered.

Lorna had a generous heart, and an introverted nature. She made home welcoming and safe for many friends of her daughters Leisa and Karen. She treasured keepsakes including old photographs, thrift store finds, Sunday School attendance awards and nearly every card she received from loved ones.

She didn’t drink alcohol, but had a lifelong, on-again-off-again relationship with cigarettes, returning to them after life’s hardest moments. Weeks before she died, she’d decided she might start again.

Her love was not always easy, but it was never in doubt. She defended her daughters even when she didn’t agree with them. Her grandchildren, Jessica, Jae and great-grand daughter Hazel, brought her joy. Her five brothers and son-in-law Kevin were adored beyond measure. The death of her sisters, Velma, and later Pearl, changed her forever. Her husband Andy’s fatal illness broke her heart. Her dear friend Alan Tero helped her mend it.

Isolation during COVID hastened a dementia diagnosis she had quietly carried until it could no longer be hidden. What followed was a tumultuous battle. She fought fiercely for her independence and voiced her deep dislike of long-term care.

Lorna rests at Riverside Cemetery in Lindsay, Ontario Canada, alongside Andy, Pearl and Bob Hampton and her parents Lorne and Vera Thompson. If you decide to visit, she likes roses.

May she be remembered not for her hardest chapter, but for the woman who lived all the chapters before it.