It is with great sorrow and sadness that the family of Tarlochan Singh Lalh announces his passing following a brief illness on August 6, 2022, at the age of 82 years. He passed away peacefully with his family by his side. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Pritam; his children Manjinder (Chetna) and Saranjeev (Bhupinder); and four grandchildren: Karamveer, Manvinder, Komal, and Taranvir. He was pre-deceased by his parents: Santokh Singh Lalh and Bachant Kaur Lalh; his elder sister Joginder, his elder brother Gurcharan, and his younger brother Talwinder. Tarlochan was born on September 26, 1939, in Arusha (in what is now) Tanzania, the son of Punjabi Sikh immigrants arriving in East Africa. After completing his schooling, Tarlochan apprenticed under his father and together with his brothers, ran a successful forging and metallurgical business, Santokh Singh and Sons, and a farming operation in Arusha. Wishing to provide better opportunities for his young family, in 1976, Tarlochan seized the chance to immigrate to Canada with his family and moved to Edmonton, which quickly became home. There, Tarlochan spent most of his career at WESTEEL and its successors, beginning as a welder and rising to management. His coworkers respected him and knew him to be a hardworking, meticulous employee, a dependable colleague, and a strong manager. Tarlochan retired in 1999 to spend more time with his family. Tarlochan took immense pride in serving his community. For him, Seva meant helping others, charity, volunteering, and offering advice wherever he could. He proudly served on the Ramgharia Gursikh Society of Edmonton executive committee for many years and was a regular sight at the Millwoods Gurdwara in Edmonton. Along with his family, Tarlochan’s other life-long passion was field hockey. He was an outstanding athlete and competed in innumerable tournaments across East Africa and internationally. Personal highlights for Tarlochan include being awarded National Sportsman of the Year at age 21 and qualifying for the Olympic team set to go to Tokyo in 1964. After moving to Edmonton, Tarlochan naturally fell in love with ice hockey and the Oilers. In his retirement, Tarlochan became an avid golfer and spent many hours on the course with his sons and grandsons. Above all else, Tarlochan was an exceptional husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He made friends quickly with his infectious laugh, storytelling ability, and quick wit. He could always be counted on to provide guidance, lend a hand, or offer comfort to anyone who needed it. His wisdom will be missed very much by everyone who knew him. His family misses him dearly and knows he will be eagerly waiting for us to see him again. We thank the Royal Alexandria Hospital staff for their excellent quality of care. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Royal Alexandria Hospital Foundation in Tarlochan’s name. A funeral service will be held from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM on 2022-08-14 at Edmonton Crematorium and Funeral Home, 6403 Roper Road NW, Edmonton.
