Friday, May 12, 2023
My profound sympathy goes out to Rose, Cindy, Luke, Alicia, Barry, Wendy, Karla, Trina and all those in Darcy's extended circle of family and friends at this very difficult time.
Darcy could be very funny, and he could make you laugh and he could make you cry. I am crying right now, trying to make some sense of his passing.
We grew up on the same street in Stoughton, and I can only vaguely remember time before him. From my earliest remembrances, when Darcy got on a roll, I would just sit there in awe, and hope that I could also breathe in some of that special air that drove him. We spent hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours doing things like perfecting our knuckleballs, inventing new constellations in the night sky, adoring our beloved Rusty (Le Grande Orange) Staub, Steve Rogers, Tim Raines, Ronnie Lancaster, George Reed, Davie Keon, Tiger Williams, Lanny McDonald, Darryl Sittler, Borje Salming and Wendel Clark, shooting pool in the basement and rats at the nuisance grounds, rafting on the slough, making tree forts out in the slough bluffs, biking to Heward to play tennis, and our co-favourites - street, slough and organized hockey. Who says small towns are boring places to grow up?
I can't count the number of times that I had the honour of tucking the puck past an out of position goalie into an empty net because Darcy had just made the perfect pass that no one else saw coming. Darcy couldn't run very fast, but when you hit the ball that far, you can jog around the bases, with purposeful swagger.
Darcy read the paper from cover to cover and always had an informed opinion. Our conversations always involved debating the state of politics - locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.
When we were kids, I always knew where I stood with Darcy. We bloodied each other's noses multiple times, but all was always forgiven. He was always ready with the hard question that most people left unsaid. When you didn't answer fully and truthfully, he knew he was being fobbed off. The question would get asked again, this time more explicitly. This didn't endear him to everyone.
Darcy respected the truth and he made you think. Above all, he was a good person that I was proud to call my friend.
Good night sweet prince: And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!
