It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our husband, father and grandfather, Darrell Derban, on December 5, 2022, in North Vancouver. Our thanks to the staff of Berkley 2nd Floor West for the care and activities they provided to Darrell in his final years, and to Ann & Emmanuel Rapada and Lorraine Loberanes for their assistance at his home in Edgemont Village. He will be greatly missed by his wife of 60 years Jacqueline, children Vance (Janet), Dwayne (Andrea) and Melani (Branko), and grandchildren Coby and Jamie. He was pre-deceased by his siblings Vance, Charley (Allisen) and Orayne. Darrell was born on September 8, 1929, in the village of Seton Portage nestled between Anderson and Seton Lakes. He grew up surrounded by extended family, with his grandparents close by on the farm they homesteaded in 1899. His relatives ran several businesses including transportation services on the lakes and roads, the general store, a sawmill, and an apple orchard. In the summer of 1942, his family moved to Vancouver so that his father could work in the shipyards. Darrell attended Kitsilano Secondary School but left before graduating. Together with his brothers, he also ran a grocery and telegram delivery service by bicycle. He returned to the Seton area in 1948 to work on the Bridge River Power Project and began driving trucks. Then in 1952, Darrell & Charley were granted a trucking license between Vancouver and Dawson Creek on the newly opened Hart Highway, and together ran Derban Peace River Transport until 1961. In 1962 Darrell married Jacqueline Donaldson in Dawson Creek and returned to Vancouver to finish his education, graduating from UBC in 1967 with a BEd. While at UBC, he drove for Greyhound throughout BC during school holidays. Most of his teaching career was spent in Kamloops (Overlander, John Peterson, Norkam), where his young family moved in 1968. Darrell was actively involved in his children’s soccer and gymnastics, and coached high school soccer. In retirement, Darrell & Jackie moved to White Rock to be closer to family, where they enjoyed travelling and playing bridge. They subsequently spent several years looking after their grandchildren in North Vancouver and on Bowen Island. Darrell was a long-time member of the Presbyterian Church in Kamloops, New Westminster, and West Vancouver.

Darrell will be remembered for his encyclopedic knowledge of the roads, geography and history of BC, and his dedication to family. He spent countless summers up until the 1980s working on his uncles’ cattle ranches east of Williams Lake and made many road trips to Denver in the 1990’s to help Vance with his telecom business. He was an avid fan of Dwayne’s football teams, and never missed a home game of the UBC Thunderbirds or BC Lions while Dwayne played. Melani fondly remembers the time she spent with dad one on one once her brothers had left home. He was a wonderful father who was always there for her.

A memorial service will be held at West Vancouver Presbyterian Church, 2893 Marine Dr, West Vancouver, at 1:00 pm on Saturday, February 4th, 2023, followed by refreshments in the church basement.