A beloved husband, father, grandfather and passionate golfer is being memorialized in Swift Current through a legacy tournament, fundraising for local healthcare.
Before Serge Lepine passed away on May 28 after fighting a long and hard battle against renal cancer, he proposed the idea to his family.
His wife Brenda is spearheading the tournament planned for next summer, and while details are still being finalized, a save-the-date has been announced for June 20.
“He’s like, ‘I want one every year,’ and we’re like, ‘Well, we’ll try for one,’” she said. “And obviously, none of us are planning to let him down, so here we are. I was told the first step was to pick a date.”
The 47-year-old was diagnosed with a tumor on his kidney in December of 2017, which quickly progressed to needing open heart surgery.
Though he recovered from what was deemed ‘the most complicated surgery they’d ever performed,’ by surgeons, a year later he was told he had only days to live.
“So, to rally through that and it’s just like, holy cow, just right to the end,” Brenda said. “And that’s the thing, it took us by surprise at the end because he just went downhill really quickly. We didn’t see it coming.”
Serge Lepine playing Pebble Beach, ticking off one of his bucket-list item;; once he fell sick, the Lepines travelled to several must-play courses.Golf played a substantial role in Serge’s life, starting as a hobby to pass time when he was young and evolving into routine family outings throughout the years. He even proposed to Brenda on a golf course, and often planned vacations or travel plans around courses he wanted to experience.
“He loved golf more than life itself; it was his passion for sure,” said Brenda.
The Lepine family is determined to make the legacy tournament fun for everyone regardless of skill level, with a shotgun start, scramble format, prizes and a buffet supper to follow at the Chinook Golf Course.
Registration will open on May 1, 2025, with 100 golfers able to take part. Anyone interested in contributing as a sponsor, prize donor, or in other capacities, can contact Brenda via email at [email protected].
All funds raised through the event will go towards the Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society.
“He wants to find a cure for cancer, obviously,” Brenda added. “Who doesn’t, when you’re diagnosed with it.”
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