Obituaries

It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we as a family announce the sudden passing of Vogan Lorne West on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

Vogan is survived by his wife, Barbara, daughter Meghan (Cory) their children Ava and Leo; and daughter Candace; brothers Paul (Joanne) and Jeff (Colleen), and extended family and friends. He was predeceased by his parents Gerald and Verna.

Vogan was born November 1st, 1955 in London, Ontario. He grew up in Orillia before relocating at 13 years old with his family to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Vogan went through RCMP training in 1975 and had an accomplished 30-year career before retiring in 2005 as a driving instructor at the RCMP Police Driving Unit at Depot Division in Regina, Saskatchewan. Retiring at the early age of 49 did not last long for the man who could not sit still and he soon began finding ways to utilize his law enforcement and professional driving background to become a high school driver instructor and opened his own driving school he operated even up until his passing.

Vogan married his wife Barbara in 1983 and welcomed their first daughter Meghan in 1985 and a second daughter, Candace in 1987 and their family was complete. Vogan was a dedicated girl dad always showing up at the rink for figure skating practices or competitions. He may have shown up in full uniform sometimes, but he was always there.

Vogan had the most amazing sense of humor and always had everyone in the room laughing. He was generous, kind, compassionate, hard-working, and caring.

Vogan loved spending time with family and friends, golfing, boating, bonfires – all time he cherished. He had a great love for driving and his vehicles, especially his Hyundai’s. Vogan was a jack of all trades, who seemed to know so much about so many different things. He was always willing to lend a hand. He was a regular in the stands for his grandchildren’s activities, for Ava’s swim meets and Leo’s hockey games. His grandchildren energized him and he truly loved being their Bapa.

Our family will never be the same without him, but we promise to move forward and make him proud.

We would like to thank all family and friends for your support during this difficult time. There will be a celebration of life held at a later date, with more details to follow.