November 2, 2023
In loving memory ~
Derek died November 2023, at the Cumberland Care Home, of complications from Alzheimer's disease, in the presence of his wife Jean and his son, Stewart. He graduated from the University of New Brunswick, standing first in the 1966 Physical Education class faculty, and obtained his MEd from the University of British Columbia in 2005. After teaching for several years in Eastern Ontario, he began teaching Physical Education and Science in Port Alberni at Mount Klitsa Junior Secondary in 1974.
From Klitsa, he led numerous girls' volleyball teams to provincial championships, often at a level for girls a year or two older than those on his teams. He did all this in addition to deep involvement in other extracurricular activities. Derek is survived by his wife Jean, the author of several science textbooks, and his son Stewart, a chartered accountant for Cinnamon Jang Willoughby in Vancouver, as well as by Stewart's wife Ellaine, and their daughters, Emma and Sarah. Though Derek was a good father to Stewart, he always preferred to coach girls' teams, rather than boys'. He claimed that the girls listened better and worked harder.
A memorial service will be held in Port Alberni in early January. Watch for the announcement in this paper.