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The ¶®É«µÛ banner is flying at half-mast from July 12-15, 2021 in remembrance of Dr. Loverne (Verne) Rubin Plitt, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering.

Obituary provided by .

It’s with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Loverne “Verne” Rubin Plitt. He will be lovingly remembered by his dear wife of 61 years, Carole (née Santoni), their two children, Sabrina (Craig) and Anthony (Natasha), and his five grandchildren, Chloe, Dalia, Alessandro, Matthew and Francesca, who will all cherish the wonderful memories of their ‘Opapa’. Verne was predeceased by his parents, Rubin and Esther (née Radis) Plitt.

Verne lived a full, happy, and varied life. He grew up on a farm south of Leduc, attended a one-room grade school and graduated from Leduc High School at the young age of 16. Verne enrolled in Engineering at the ¶®É«µÛ and challenged himself by also joining the Air Force training program. Upon graduation, he became a CF-100 fighter navigator and was stationed in Bagotville, Quebec with the 432 All Weather Fighters Squadron. Here he amassed many flying stories which he shared throughout his lifetime. It was while stationed in Quebec that he met the love of his life, Carole. After retiring from the Air Force, Verne worked as a Process Engineer at Alcan in Arvida, Quebec. In 1965, Verne and Carole moved to Alberta for “just two years” so that Verne could complete graduate studies; however, they ended up staying in Edmonton where they raised their family and Verne had a successful career at the ¶®É«µÛ. Verne was a valued professor, researcher and mentor in the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, where he ultimately served as Department Chair and Associate Dean. He was internationally recognized for his mineral processing expertise and development of the Plitt Formula. In retirement, Verne stayed busy working as an examiner for APEGA, participating in Rotary and spending time with family.

Verne was kind, humble, generous and inquisitive about the world around him. He was always interested in new experiences and took advantage of sabbatical opportunities in Montreal and France. He enjoyed the intricacies of languages and treasured travelling abroad. He especially loved his winter holidays to Hawaii and annual family ski trips. The memories of happy times together will stay with his family and friends forever.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Mazankowski Heart Institute or Parkinson Canada. A funeral will be held at St John the Evangelist Anglican Church on Tuesday, July 13 at 1:30pm.

For information about lowering the ¶®É«µÛ banner, visit the In Memoriam webpage.