Growing up, he spent his summers visiting relatives in Canada where his mom was from. He loved traveling up North to spend time with family and having the opportunity to immerse himself in the honest life of a Farmer from Canwood, Saskatchewan.
Despite his admiration for the simple life of a farmer, it didn't stick. Instead, Derek found his true passion in life on the basketball court. Derek's basketball career began at Lincoln East High School, where he played for all three years and won several awards for his efforts. Although, the award he cherished most during his time at East, was being a member of the Spartans Basketball team, which won the 1978 Nebraska State Championship. The talent Derek displayed on the court in high school garnered the attention of many schools at the college level but ultimately he accepted a scholarship offer and continued his basketball career at New Mexico State University from 1979 to 1982.
After Derek finished his studies at NMSU, his professional basketball career would begin, an adventure that would allow him to see the world. His career began in East Berlin, Germany, and would later take him everywhere from the Dominican Republic, Lisbon, Portugal, and the Canary Islands. Eventually, Derek would return home to the United States to play in the CBA league for the Topeka Sizzlers before retiring from the game.
After his retirement from basketball, Derek would settle in Lake Havasu, Arizona, where he found work as a personal trainer. He would later return home to Lincoln, Nebraska to finish his degree, in Psychology at the University of Nebraska. He then returned to Arizona once again, where he found his second calling in life as a probation officer. Additionally, he worked as a county clerk, as well as a drug and alcohol counselor and Program Director at Desert Foothills Counseling in Phoenix, Arizona.
In his free time, Derek would also pursue his dream of being a published author. He wrote his first book, “A Copper Town Summer”. His inspiration for this book would come from his affinity for a ghost town near where he lived, Jerome, Arizona. Derek always had a deep interest in history. The time he spent researching Jerome's history while writing was one of his most cherished personal achievements in life.
Shortly after the death of his Father, Dennis, and his long-time beloved Boxer companion, Jade, Derek would return to Lincoln to assist with caregiving duties alongside his sister, Shelley, for their mother Elsie, whose health would decline after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Not long after arriving in Lincoln, Derek would meet his other best friend, and companion until the end, Zeus. Shortly after the death of his mother, Elsie, Derek was diagnosed with stage 4 renal cancer. The cancer rapidly took from him his ability to care for himself and would eventually lead him, and Zeus, to move in with his sister, Shelley, and his brother-in-Law, Randy where they became his primary caregivers. During that time Derek would reconnect and spend time with his nephews, Jesse and Jordan. Both saw their uncle as a hero growing up, they took great pride in all that he accomplished in life and would find inspiration in the stories about him and the people he met that they would later attribute to their own individual successes in life. Derek loved his family, he loved the boys and was very proud of the things they both accomplished in life, most notably, the families they would grow and introduce to him: Jesse's wife Erin and their daughters, Teagan, Brooklyn, and Hayden, Jordan's wife Lacy, their oldest daughter Lennon and was here with us for the brief life of their youngest daughter Remi. Sadly, Derek would pass before getting to meet Lacy and Jordan's son, Ellis.
In addition to blood relatives, Derek would acquire a bonus family throughout his life, in his friends. Derek would maintain close friendships with many of the teammates he came to know, from both high school and college, throughout his entire life. Of those many, there were several of these friends he would consider to be more like family, like brothers. Their bond was evident in their support for Derek throughout his hard-fought battle with cancer. The frequent phone calls, the texts, the messages on social media, and the in-person visits from his friends would become his lifeblood throughout his battle. The spark he would get from speaking with or seeing his old friends would provide the encouragement he needed to fight another day. That same support would also provide him with comfort as he approached his final days before he embarked on his next journey, the life begins when this life ends. A life with no pain, no cancer, just peace. Derek was deeply grateful for the support of his friends and he loved you all dearly. Our family loves all of you and we appreciate all the love and support you showed Derek during his life.
Memorials:
CAASR Central Arizona Animal Search and Rescue
3785 N Crestview Drive Box 4394 Camp Verde, AZ 86322
https://greatnonprofits.org/org/central-arizona-animal-search-rescue
American Cancer Society
Lincoln Lutheran High School Champions Program
1100 North 56th Street Lincoln, NE 68504
Lincoln Public Schools Foundation Dedicate to Lincoln East Basketball Program
5905 O Street Lincoln, NE 68510
