Obituary - 8073

 

8073 Derrick R Sloan (Obituary)

 

Died: 08 May 2015 (Cancer)

June of 1967 - After a tumultuous two years, Derrick left RMC (along with most of his three Squadron ‘second year’ brethren) and returned to his parent’s home on Broadview Ave. in Ottawa (Westboro). Simultaneously Derrick’s older brother Paddy, via a similar mechanism, joined the RMC class of 1969.

September 68 – Derrick enrolled in Carleton University.

June 1972 - Derrick graduated from Carleton, worked a short time in the advertising industry, took (and aced) the Civil Service exam then re-joined the government of Canada.

Derrick met Rose Kulick in 1974 when Derrick was part of Barry Owens’ Ottawa in crowd.

Derrick and Rose (one of the two best thing that ever happened to Derrick) were married in Scarborough in 1976.

Rose is holding the other best thing to happen to Derrick (and Rose) - their son Tyler.

1978 -1981 Derrick attended Western University in pursuit of a master’s degree in business administration which in he obtained 1981. After receiving his MBA degree Derrick and Rose stayed on in London for a year as Derrick taught at Western’s Business school.

1981 – 2012 Derrick and Rose returned to Ottawa where Derrick resumed his career in the Civil Service with Industry, Trade and Commerce. Rose also worked for the Canadian Government.

Derrick spent his entire career at Industry, Trade and Commerce, Derrick had a certain specialization for aerospace industry, as he would attend their conferences, his job he was interested in any large economic sector throughout Ontario and Quebec. He used to spend time in Quebec mining towns, interviewing the mine leadership (Abitibi, Rouen-Noranda, etc.), but was especially involved in the aerospace side, such as trying to keep Bombardier in Quebec.

2009 - Rose and Derrick attend their son Tyler’s graduation from McGill – Bachelor of Science, Neuroscience. In 2015 Tyler obtained a PH’D in Experimental Medicine, also from McGill.

2012 - Rose and Derrick both retire from the Civil Service and begin life as retirees by purchasing a winter home in the Tampa, FL area.

 

 March 2014 - While at their Tampa winter home with Derrick and Tyler, Rose passes away from lung cancer.

May 8, 2015 - Every year 12 to 16 of Derrick’s RMC 69 buddies would go on a one-week golfing trip during which there was running competition (with precise handicaps), a Champion Golf of the Year would be declared and a trophy presented.  In all the years only one handicap was ever adjusted and that was Derrick’s - when we were at Alice and John Carlson’s place outside Nappanee when it looked like Derrick would run away with the competition. In spite of it being an overly complex competition, it was not a real competition, after the first couple of years it was decided that nobody would win twice, and it was awarded not on merit but based more on seniority. At the time Derrick did not realize this and was not very happy with his handicap reduction.

In the fall of 2014 Derrick had indicated that he looked forward to going to Palm Springs with the boys.  However, in the winter he informed the group that he could make this year’s outing due to ongoing health issues – issues that caused Derrick to fly back from Tampa as his back was causing him too much pain to drive. In April when Derrick returned to Ottawa, he entered the hospital to address his health issues and back pain. It was then he found out that his bladder cancer had returned. Several of his Ottawa area RMC golfing buddies, before embarking on their golf trip, visited Derrick in the hospital and found him in good spirits.

When the RMC 69 golfing group met in Palm Springs that year the Ottawa boys reported on Derrick's condition.  The golf competition ran its course, more sombre than in years passed, and as it turned out Bob Morton won. During his acceptance speech Bob declined the trophy and suggested that it be awarded to Derrick, citing Derrick’s as the only person who had their handicap lowered – to which we all agreed.  The plan was to get his name engraved on the trophy and the Ottawa group would visit Derrick either at home or in the hospital and award Derrick the trophy. The award was made on the last night of the 2015 RMC 69er Golf Outing - a Friday evening - some told a few Derrick stories, and we all toasted Derrick. That Friday evening (May 8, 2015), the evening when the trophy was awarded to Derrick was the same Friday evening that Derrick passed.

Derrick’s extra-curricular activities:

Like his brother Paddy Derrick was an accomplished downhill skier and took advantage of the many ski hills north of Ottawa and in the nearby Laurentians.

Games and activities that involved strategy (thinking) were a particular favorite of Derrick. Friday evenings would frequently Derrick and Rose at Derrick’s parents (Marie and Emmet Sloan - Wing Commander RCAF Retired) place in Westboro. After a Marie meal the cards would come out and a competitive game of bridge would begin.

He loved golf, he'd go on many golf trips with his brother Kevin and his RMC buddies.

Derrick with his RMC 69 classmates at Jack Reid’s golf course (Sonora Dunes in Osoyoos, BC).

An unusual hobby of Derrick’s was the collection and dealing in Star Wars Cards. When Tyler was in elementary school / high school, he and a few friends started playing Star Wars Cards, (SWCCG), and Derrick became involved in a big way. He learned the card game rules, started collecting the cards, and playing in tournaments. Derrick and Tyler would spend a lot of weekends at comic book shops for tournaments when new sets were released. While he was still working with Industry, Trade and Commerce it was his evening and weekend hobby but turned into a more elaborate one when he retired. 

He would collect entire sets of the playing cards and sell them through his eBay store. This entailed spreadsheets of inventory for which sets were complete and what cards were missing, Derrick would do long distance trades with a community of players to help each other complete sets, then he'd shrink-wrap them with labels and sell them on his eBay store. 

Currently

Derrick and Rose’s son Tyler lives in Montreal, with Tyler’s wife Patricia and their daughter Rose Marie. Tyler is a Data Scientist with Quorumetrix Solutions.