EDMONTON – A funeral service for Paul Lorieau was held at St. Joseph’s Basilica Monday afternoon. The 71-year-old anthem singer passed away July 2 after a battle with cancer.
Lorieau sang the national anthem at Edmonton Oilers games for three decades, and sang for the last time at an Oilers game on April 8, 2011.
“Paul passed peacefully surrounded by his daughters, grand children, and extended family under the caring service at the Norwood Care Centre,” Lorieau’s son-in-law Amadeus Peruch told Global News.
“On behalf of the entire family, and Paul, we would like to thank the citizens of this fabulous city who have shown their love to him over the years by cheering and clapping while he passionately sang his heart out.”
“Family was everything to my dad… he told us all the time,” shared Lorieau’s daughter Camille, speaking at Monday’s service.
Camille spoke about her father’s “joie de vivre” and his infectious laugh.
“Dad had a way with words,” she said, and “a tremendous impact on people’s lives which he did not realize he had.”
“Music was my dad’s gift and his passion… music was his life.”
Lorieau is survived by his four daughters, Lisa Lorieau (Danny Ferguson), Jocelyne Lorieau, Danielle Lorieau-Peruch (Ilyan Amadeus Peruch) and Camille Lorieau; five grandchildren; one brother and two sisters, Maurice (Mary-Nora), Aline Kowalchuk, and Fleurette Phalempin, and godson, Marc Lorieau; good family friends, Barry and Tina Crook, as well as Nancy Dryden-Lorieau and step-children, Adam, Rima and Lara.
“It’s not that he was just a great singer and a great opera voice and a wonderful member of the community,” said Mayor Stephen Mandel. “He was a very fine, upstanding citizen. He was very generous with his time, of his money, and of his support for community groups. We’ll miss him dearly and our thoughts and our prayers go out to his family.”
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