Donor Stories

We are grateful to the many donors who support the work of the Lake O’Hara Trails Club. From time to time, our donors request a dedication in memory of a loved one. We are honoured to present these stories.

Generous donation from Pitblado family funds future trail work
April 2026

Though it was almost 70 years ago, Jim Pitblado still vividly recalls his first glimpse of Lake O’Hara.

“It was 1951, “he says. “I was working a summer job as a houseman at the Lake Louise Lodge. One day. a friend suggested we go for a hike, and when I asked where we were going, he said  ‘Abbot Pass.’ I had no idea where he meant. The biggest mountain I had seen before arriving in the mountains was the banks of the Red River in Winnipeg. Anyway, we set off and six hours later we were at Lake O’Hara. I was blown away by the grandeur and the beauty!”

That indelible memory, and a desire to ensure others can continue to share that joy, prompted Jim and his wife Sandra, to make a six-figure donation this December to create an endowment fund for the Lake O’Hara Trails Club. Their generous gift will help the Club continue its care for the trails of Lake O’Hara for years to come.

Sandra laughs at the audacity of Jim’s first trek into O’Hara over what is today considered a challenging mountaineering route. “They were 21,” she explains. Sandra has her own cherished recollections of O’Hara. “My most precious memory is the first time I saw Lake McArthur. There is this moment when you come over the rise, and you first see the lake. And then along the lake edge there is this one little larch standing there that you just have to pay homage too. It is so lovely.”

For Sandra and Jim, Lake O’Hara is also a place full of family memories. They have been annual guests at Lake O’Hara Lodge since 2002. Over the last twenty years, all of their five children, and ten of their fourteen grandchildren have joined them at one time or another.

“It’s a magical place for us,” says Jim. “I don’t think there is anywhere else in the world like it.”

Over the years, Jim has scaled the heights at O’Hara, despite being a self-described “prairie boy from Winnipeg.” “I remember getting up at four o’clock in the morning, getting the kids up, grabbing a sandwich, and setting out in the dark to go over Opabin Pass to Moraine Lake with a guide. It was an incredible bluebird day. I’ll never forget that!”

About fifteen years ago, Jim and Sandra became members of the Lake O’Hara Trails Club and began making annual donations. Their endowment donation in December was a collective Christmas gift for their family.

“Our goal is to preserve what we have experienced at Lake O’Hara over the years — for everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy it as much as we have.  We want our grandkids — and everyone’s grandkids — to be able to hike these trails, and to be able to see what we’ve seen,” Jim says.

Sandra and Jim also hope to lead by example. “We hope others will be inspired to donate to the endowment fund as we have,” Jim adds. “That way, we can create a source of income that will allow the trails club to continue its work for years to come.”

Prompted by Jim and Sandra’s generous donation, LOTC has launched the Lake O’Hara Forever Endowment Campaign.

In Memory of a Fine Man in a Fine Place: Robert (Bob) Leong 1949 - 2021

Bob Leong and his wife, Diane Magyary, first discovered the magic of Lake O’Hara in 2001, when they came to hike its lovely trails and stay at the campground. Having fallen under the spell of the area, a cathedral to renew the soul, they returned every September to continue hiking the whole trail network in all kinds of weather for 19 years. Bob and Diane had a wonderful sense of adventure, and Bob enjoyed fishing in Lake O’Hara.  Naturally, he shared one of his best catches with his friends at Lake O’Hara Lodge in the early 2000’s. Bob was also known for his keen observation and photography of the wildlife in the area, especially wolverines and grizzlies. He was one of the kindest, most humble men his friends had ever met; he had a real dedication to helping others; and was a significant contributor to communities with projects abroad and closer to home. His motto in life was “Better to serve than be served.” For example, he and Diane actively worked with their church to help ensure potable water for many villages in Malawi and for many years, Bob organized Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for Ronald McDonald House in Seattle. It was only after his death that his friends learned of his phenomenal charitable work through his foundation, providing scholarships to less fortunate students to attend Catholic high schools, starting in Hawaii and expanding to other states. Bob had a unique and somewhat self-deprecating sense of humour and good will. Dining with Bob always guaranteed much hearty laughter at meal times. He was the best and most caring friend one could ever have, and his friends feel blessed and honoured by his dedication and friendship.