ANDERSON
Duncan Alexander
June 3, 1943 - Nov. 1, 2014
Born June 3, 1943 in Port Arthur, Ontario to parents Lawrence and Anna Christina. Died November 1, 2014 in Red Deer, Alberta with family near his side. Even as a young boy growing up, Duncan's love of reading started early with the Hardy Boys detective books. This passion eventually led to a very rewarding and fulfilling career as a teacher-librarian in numerous school districts and provinces. After graduating from high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he enrolled in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Winnipeg. It was while working on his degree at the Faculty of Education in 1964 that he met and fell in love with Patricia Elaine Wright. They were married on December, 28th of the same year. In the summer of 1965 Duncan and Elaine moved to Fort Frances, Ontario to begin their life long careers of teaching. The next few years brought the birth of their children Tracey, Tara and Greg. At this time also Duncan explored his love of cooking with a group of friends and the formation of "The Gourmet Club". They would meet every 6 weeks for the opportunity to explore foods from different lands and friendship. In 1980 the family relocated to Elkford, BC where Duncan continued spreading his love of books to his students. After several years itchy feet struck again and the family moved to Red Deer, Alberta. While there he continued to teach at several different schools in Red Deer. Duncan also was extensively involved with the Red Deer Public Library and sat on their board for many years. The urge to travel began to grow and he and Elaine travelled to many exotic locations including England, Venice, Barcelona, Istanbul, Greece and China before her passing in May of 2010. Throughout these trips Duncan took many beautiful photographs portraying the sights and surroundings around him. Duncan continued to explore this beautiful world we live in with further travels to Sicily, The Black Sea,The Netherlands and Spain. At this time he also participated in a volunteer program to visit Spain and teach English to participants there. While back in Red Deer, he continued to volunteer with the Library Board, at Ten Thousand Villages and with the Adult Literacy Program. Sadly in the spring of 2012 Duncan was diagnosed with lung cancer. He continued to strive to enjoy his days and to not let the cancer affect him negatively. While attending a Living Book event put on by the Red Deer Public Library he met Kim who would become a warm and compassionate companion for his last years. After undergoing chemo and radiation treatments it continued to spread and although he fought valiantly it won the battle on November 1, 2014. Until his death, Duncan was still living life to the fullest and enjoyed good food, good company and the time spent with his family and friends. He continued to travel within North America and was still swinging his golf clubs. He is fondly remembered by his daughters Tracey (Darren Halladay), Tara (James McGhee), son Greg, grandchildren Brandi, Edge, Emilee, Maria; great grandchildren Savannah and Liam. He is also survived by his brother Don Anderson. A celebration of life will be held in the Red Deer Public Library, Snell Auditorium, 4818 - 49 St., Red Deer, AB on Saturday, November 22, 2014 between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Duncan's honour may be made directly to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, 1331 - 29 St. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N2, the Kidney Foundation, # 212, 4711 - 51 Ave., Red Deer, AB, T4N 6H8 or to the Red Deer Hospice, 99 Arnot Ave., Red Deer, AB T4R 3S6.
Condolences may be forwarded to the family by visiting www.reddeerfuneralhome.com.