Gentlemen.....tonight I'm deeply shocked and saddened at Lorne Ertl's untimely passing. As some of you members know or don't know, the 1943 HUP ZL I currently own, was purchased from Lorne. This deal was initiated ...God....8-10 years ago. I was put into this purchase through Colin Stevens. Lorne had been recently diagnosed with "a heart problem" and had to take early /disability retirement from Winnipeg Transit, where he was a mechanic.
He had decided to sell the HUP and that's where I got involved. We made a deal that Lorne would restore the HUP to it's original configuration, being that it was the only 1943 survivor (I have recently came across the only 1944 survivor). A loose time schedule was set and monies exchanged and the curtain went up on the restoration. During that whole restoration period, Lorne and I got to know one another on the phone calls, which I paid for and lasted as long as 2 hours, due to Manitoba's costly phone rates. Now that I look back at the situation, Lorne had no computer and every thing was done by phone! So his phone bill must have been astronomical. Again, all of this was done over the phone, with some mailed photos. I probably paid more in phone calls than the restoration!!!
As luck would have it....I managed to obtain a contract to do some renovations on certain branches of a Canadian Bank from Vancouver to Winnipeg. The bank shall remained unnamed, as it's nice to get a little "payback" time. Enough said!
As said earlier, my contract ended in Winnipeg. So it was very easy to Zip up to Lockport Manitoba and see Lorne, via the bank. Lockport Manitoba.....for anyone traveling there, is Internationally Famous for Skinners Wieners, a Hot Dog Restaurant Extrordinare!
Lorne walked and showed me around the restoration (ground up) and astounded me with the his knowledge of CMP'S.
During that time, I met his family and had coffee and homemade cake in the kitchen. His father,Henry, was a former carpenter for CBC Television, Winnipeg.....in the early years of television. His mother lived at home and raised 2 boys, Lorne and Craig. They were Prairie People. Lorne not only did his restorations, but maintained a couple of farms. He was a man of the soil! And many a phone call was spent on soil erosion, ploughing, flooding....those things where farming is heart. F"k the HUP!
During this trip, I drove up to Shilo Manitoba and got to meet Rob Love and his "collection" plus get into the back "rooms" of the Museum. An average collectors "orgasim". And Rob just passes it off as an every day matter!
I've digressed....as I have a tendency to do.
When Lorne's father passed a couple of years ago, I had a problem getting through to Lorne. Lorne and His father were extremely close and the whole time that Lorne's father was in hospital , I always asked about him and it was a major concern to Lorne. Although he continued through his restoration projects, the passing of his father was a major blow to the Lorne, something I don't think he ever got over.
Tonight are my memories of Lorne....although I could go on for a couple more entries...non stop. I will pay my condolences and hopefully a few more passages come in for Lorne. God Bless
R.