Luke Lumley loved everything about being a train engineer, whether it was cooking for his crewmates, or snapping majestic photographs of the raw wilderness that raced past him on his Northern Ontario routes. The railway was so important to him that when he walked out of his final cancer treatment in 2022, he didn’t ring any old bell to mark the moment – he clanged a locomotive bell emblazoned with the name of his employer, Ontario Northland.
But on Tuesday, Sept. 17, he died in a tragic accident in the agency’s train yard in North Bay, Ont. leaving his family, friends and co-workers devastated.
Luke was a skilled and avid fisherman, hunter and, as a teenager, played hockey for the Huntsville Arrowhead Motor Midgets. A lifelong resident of smalltown Novar, Ont., he was capable of the toughness required for growing up in the north, and was fearless behind the wheel of an ATV or bombing down a hill on his snowboard. But as anyone who spent even the smallest amount of time with him can attest, he was a huge softie. He adored animals, especially his many dogs over the years (Spike, Daisey, Izzy, Sammy), and was not shy about getting right up into their faces for kisses. Children, especially his niece and nephew, were drawn to him and his playfulness. (He was affectionately known as “Woo-Key” because of his niece’s distinct pronunciation of Lukey.) He was equally effusive with adults, and he ended almost every conversation with friends and family, no matter how brief or run-of-the-mill, by telling them he loved them.
That affection was born out of several trying challenges that he overcame. He lost his beloved mother Kathy to cancer in 2005 when he was only 24 years old. In 2022, he received a cancer diagnosis of his own, which he beat, but only after a taxing regimen of chemotherapy and later stem cell therapy at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.
Luke leaves behind his fiancé Jen Sloan of North Bay, Ont. He is also dearly missed by his big brother and best friend Joe, sister-in-law Jen, father Ernie, niece Isla and nephew Logan, all of the Almaguin Highlands Region. He is also survived by his half-brother Bruce, and half-sisters Sandra and Lorraine. He was also loved by his aunts Lyn, Debbie, Kim, uncles Frank and Dan, and cousins Greg, Dean, Emily, Geoff and Jonathan. He had a vast network of friends. His absence on his buddies’ upcoming annual duck hunting trip to Cache Bay will be profound.
Luke also had a special relationship with his grandfather Bill Logan, who he visited frequently, usually to watch the Blue Jays and Maple Leafs. Bill predeceased Luke by less than three months, when he passed away in June at the age of 99. He is also predeceased by his mother-in-law Phyllis, who passed away on March 27 at age 79.
The family will be receiving visitors for a memorial visitation at the Emsdale Community Centre (32 Joseph St.) on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, between the hours of 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. If desired, donations to All Heart Pet-Rescue (Powassan) would be gratefully acknowledged by Luke's family. Online condolences can be made www.mcguintyfuneralhome.com