ORBAN, Christopher

ORBAN

CHRISTOPHER ORBAN, beloved husband of Valerie Orban, passed away at Chinook Regional Hospital on Monday, December 10, 2018 at the age of 56 years.

Besides his loving wife, Val, he is survived by his children, Brance (Timea) Orban, Tayler (Mark Weitz) Orban and Chortney (Clayton Redel) Orban; his parents, Joe & Dorothy Orban; his parents-in-law, Joe & Verla Liptak and his siblings-in-law, Scott (Shelly) Orban and their children Blake, Sarah (Jordan) & James, Dave (Lisa) Liptak and their children DJ, Kayce & Diezel and Cathy Trempner and her children Madison (Jayden Kooy) & Zach.

He was predeceased by his brothers, Jerry Orban and Todd Orban; his grandparents, Joe & Elizabeth Orban and Fred & Pat Snell; his uncles, Jay Braun and Dave Snell and cousin, Jason Snell.

Chris was born in Taber on December 12, 1961 to Joe & Dorothy Orban. He married Val Liptak, the apple of his eye, on June 7, 1986. That same year was of great significance to Chris and Val, as it was that year they bought a house as well as JCST Sports in Taber, which Chris ran for several years. Two years later, he and Val welcomed their first child, Brance, who was followed by Tayler in 1991 and Chortney in 1996.

Prior to marrying Val, Chris played college hockey with the SAIT Trojans, then professionally in Scotland for the Fife Flyers. In 1986, the year of their wedding, Chris was offered a chance to continue his professional hockey career in North America, but he declined and chose to commit his focus to starting his family and continued to run the family business. He taught golf at the Taber Golf Course and took initiative to revamp the Taber Buccaneers; the senior men’s team from his hometown.

Though he decided to move on from his professional hockey career as a player, Chris was an extremely valued athlete and teammate overseas and with the Olds Grizzlys (formerly the Taber Golden Suns). In Scotland, he earned the Man of the Match award, which is given to the player who accumulates the highest number of star nominations from each game. With the Golden Suns, he was awarded with the Most Heart & Guts Trophy; an award that was created exclusively for Chris as a special acknowledgment to the sacrifices he made for the team. The trophy was physically massive to symbolize the size of Chris’ heart. The year after, when the Golden Suns moved to Olds and became the Grizzlys, Chris was named the first ever captain of the team. That award sat in his home until his son, Brance, won Rookie of the Year in 2007, at which point Chris donated it to the Grizzlys to present to every future Rookie of the Year recipient. Chris and Brance’s names are the first two names on the trophy.

His and Val’s working careers took them all over the province. In 1989, Val started her Day Home. In 2003, they moved to Calgary to pursue an opportunity to run a sporting goods store. Eventually, they moved to Lethbridge where Val continued her Day Home and Chris chased a career in salon sales. He won numerous awards in sales and business, such as Top Colour Sales for ten consecutive years, but most importantly he established countless relationships.

On February 1, 2015, Chris was diagnosed with a brain tumor. His disease did not slow him down; he still played hockey, went to the gym, traveled around the world and spent summers at the lake. On August 3, 2018, he was able to attend Brance & Timea’s wedding in Hungary. It wasn’t until 34 months after his diagnosis that Chris succumbed to his illness – over twice as long as the average expectancy.

Throughout his entire life, Chris exemplified perseverance, courage and heart; he never quit and he never gave up, no matter what was at hand. Family was everything to him; Orban’s are warriors and he was no exception.

A Prayer Service will be held at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2800 Mayor Magrath Drive South, Lethbridge, AB on Friday, December 14, 2018 at 7:00 P.M.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at ST. AUGUSTINE’S CATHOLIC CHURCH, 5009 – 48 Avenue, Taber, AB on Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 2:00 P.M. with Father Eligio Canete, celebrant.

A Celebration of Life Reception will follow at the TABER COMMUNITY CENTRE, 4712 – 50 Street, Taber, AB on Saturday, December 15, 2018 from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. The family kindly encourages everybody to wear a jersey!

The family would like to acknowledge all of the Hockey Brothers; though too numerous to name, your impact on Chris’ life will never be forgotten.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Chris’ memory may be made to the Kidsport Lethbridge & Taber, 1001 – 3 Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB T1J 0J3 or online at www.kidsportcanada.ca/alberta/lethbridge-taber.

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com