Obituary Overview
Lovingly Remembered
Fretts, Derald Don
It is with great sadness that the family of Derald Fretts announces his passing on June 30, 2018 at the age of 67. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife Lynn Lehr, his children Aneca (Landon) Desharnais, and Ian Fretts; his niece Tanya (Dave) Roth; and his extended family Shirley, Garri and Paige Aiken; Sherry, Glenn and Tamara Woolgar; Randy, Roma and Lindsay Lehr, and Kari, Dave, Evan, Chloe and Maeve Rothlin. Derald was predeceased by his father Don (1994), mother Sue (2011) and sister Debbie (1998).
Derald was born in Lethbridge, AB on September 25, 1950, and grew up in Raymond, Milk River and Taber, before his family settled in Lethbridge. He graduated from the University of Lethbridge in 1973 with a Bachelor of Education degree, and was the recipient of the William Aberhart Gold Medal in Education, which is awarded to the student who attains the highest general proficiency in the final two years of a Bachelor of Education program.
He then moved to Calgary, where he began an illustrious 32 year teaching career starting at Crescent Heights High School (1973-1991), followed by Ernest Manning High School (1991-1997). In 1995 he was a Finalist for the Excellence in Teaching Awards. He finished his career with the Calgary Board of Education in the downtown office as the Coordinator of Corporate Partnerships (1997-2005), and in 1997 he was the recipient of the Mayor’s Excellence Award for “excellence in the promotion of Partnerships”.
Derald also enjoyed a very successful secondary career as a Volleyball Coach. He coached the Mount Royal College Cougar Men’s Volleyball team from 1976-1986, where he coached the team to the Provincial and National Championships 3 times. During his tenure as coach of the Senior Boys Volleyball team at Crescent Heights High School from 1974-1990, he also lead the team to both City and Provincial Championships 3 times. While at Ernest Manning, he then coached the Seniors Girls Volleyball team.
After he retired from the CBE in 2005, Derald embarked on his 3rd career, as Coordinator of Marketing and Community Programs for the Calgary Flames Limited Partnership, but more specifically, the Calgary Hitmen. This endeavor gave him the opportunity to combine all of his passions under one job title….hockey games, community involvement, and supervising students who worked at the Saddledome as part of their work experience placement.
As a husband and father, Derald was a tireless supporter of everything his family did, whether it was helping on school projects, cheering on the sidelines at basketball and soccer games, or driving for 2 hours to find a lost cat. There are many happy memories of sitting around the kitchen table for marathon card games, most of which were won by Derald (he was a card shark!). He was the undisputed BBQ king of the family, and also made a mean perogies and sausage dinner, which was a family favorite.
Fairmont, BC was a special home for Derald and Lynn, where for the past 10 years they have enjoyed the mountains, fabulous golfing and the fellowship and friendship of the members of the Fairmont Riverside Golf Course. Derald enjoyed the sunshine and golf of Arizona, and was fortunately able to enjoy his “bucket list” trip to South Africa for a safari holiday, before he became ill.
A special thank you to the amazing staff at Unit 57 in the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, who took such wonderful care of Derald during his time there. You have all earned your angel wings for the kindness and compassion you showed Derald and his family during this difficult time.
A Celebration of Derald’s Life will be held on Monday, July 23 at 2:00 p.m. at Eden Brook Funeral Home in Calgary.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made directly to Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids, a non-profit organization which makes and delivers free healthy lunches for students who would otherwise go hungry, at bb4ck.org/donating-to-bb4ck/
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Derald Don Fretts 2018.source
Décès pour la Ville: Calgary, Province: Alberta
