Theodore Charles de Pencier

It is with a broken heart I announce the passing of my beloved husband Theo. Born in Vancouver, he was raised in Kerrisdale and Port Coquitlam, with a four year stretch in Edmonton, when his father worked there, that he was very happy to return to the coast from.

Theo loved his two daughters Trina and Leah very much and was so proud of them for becoming loving and lovely women. A favorite memory of Trina's is when he built her a playhouse in the backyard. For months she thought he was building a shed, and on her birthday the present she opened was a key and she had to figure out what it opened. Inside the playhouse he had also built her a fridge and stove.

Leah fondly recalls when she was 9 or 10 years old, her dad took her to her very first Canucks game vs the Minnesota North Stars. She remembers he somehow sweet talked the arena staff into letting them go down a non public hallway where the players come out and she got to meet Stan Smyl. That cemented her life long love of hockey.

He adored his grandchildren, Livia and Eli and always had a great time and a big smile on his face when they were around visiting, or when visiting them.

Theo and I led a magical life together for almost 40 years, and knew each other for 53. He and I were not only husband and wife, but each other's very best friend, and the void his passing will leave in my life cannot be adequately described.

We loved to travel and saw many parts of the world together, meeting new friends everywhere we went. With Theo, it was impossible not to find new people to bring into our lives, he would start up a conversation with anyone. And many of these new acquaintances remained our friends in the following years.

Favorite, often repeated visits were to Ireland, where Theo had cousins, Puerto Vallarta, and the lovely little fishing village of Salema in Portugal. A cruise around South America and a driving trip across Canada all the way to St. John's and back, both done in 2022 were highlights, as was a nearly 3 month drive around almost every state in the contiguous USA back in 2010.

Fiji, Malta. New Zealand and Greece will always hold special places in my heart, the stories to tell from those trips are too numerous to relate here, but I can tell you, they are filled with laughter and love.

We enjoyed golfing together, and many vacations included a few games of golf both in North America and overseas, taking our clubs when we drove and renting or borrowing while overseas. We particularly liked golfing in Ireland, New Zealand, California and the Southern USA, as well as at many courses all over BC.

I will very much miss our "pub times" on the promenade at White Rock Beach three or four times a week, sheltering in the car, listening to tunes on inclement days and setting up our camp chairs and table on the mild and sunny ones. It was a year round habit we developed during COVID and never gave up. We had such great talks during those "pub times", often reminiscing about past travels and just making each other laugh with new and old stories and corny jokes.

Theo loved his NFL football and was an avid fan. He had an interest in almost all other sports, following favorite events on TV, and occasionally attending in person.

He and pal Peter Wilcox founded a touch football team in White Rock back in the 80's, known as The Unusual Football League, after getting into a competition about which one of them could throw a football the farthest. The Melmacians played for the ultimate prize of The Melmac Cup, their version of Super Bowl at the end of their season every year, usually in January. It was an ugly old lime green Melmac camping coffee cup, mounted on a block of wood that grew to quite a height over the years, as more and more tiers were added in order to get the winning teams names on it.

Theo and Pete even convinced local cable outlet at the time, Shaw TV, to televise several of the last years of the final game, so the game presentation had to be upped for TV, and somehow the two of them organized fly bys by a local Ultra Light group, a ceremonial kick off by the then Mayor of White Rock Gordon Hogg, arriving at center field in a vintage car accompanied by Miss White Rock and her Princesses, and the "Flipping of the Chicken." The mayor "flipped the chicken", a man dressed in a full chicken costume, and depending on if he landed face down or face up, the side that would kick off was decided. One year there was a substantial patch of ice on the field that the players slipped and slid over during the game, but for the halftime show we had a figure skater. The field they played on was a bit small, so center field was the 46 and half yard line. Those games were so much fun to watch.

Theo was extremely well read. He always had a book on the go, and he had a particularly excellent grasp of geography, something that served him well when playing trivia games. He made friends easily anywhere he went and was the quintessential happy guy! He could find the humor in just about any situation and often came up with a deadpan wise crack at just the right moment that would have anyone within earshot in stitches.

He enjoyed going out for a beer, shootin' the breeze and playing trivia games with longtime friends Les, Dave and Joe and a host of other "drop bys" at our local pub, including one of his dearest and oldest friends, Darryl Walker.

Theo was a very talented singer and guitarist, and for many years picked up extra cash playing the pub circuit on weekends with two different acts, "The Fictitious Brothers" with buddy Paul Tobin and "The Regular Guys" with friend Roger Currie, all the while holding down a day job too. That extra money was often used to pay for holidays, including one to Europe, making sure his beloved daughter's were well traveled.

He was also a very entertaining actor, treading the boards many times at various venues, but mostly on the stage at the White Rock Players Club, where he not only acted but helped to build sets. Not too long after we first became a couple we appeared together as married couple Jerry and Alice in a play called Squabbles, produced by the White Rock Players in 1989. I'm blessed to have a video of that show as well as a couple of others Theo appeared in. How wonderful to see him walking and talking and so alive. I treasure those videos and I am so thankful to have them.

Theo retired from Telus in 2010 having worked for the company and its predecessor BC Tel for over 30 years as a lineman and he leaves many good buddies from there who stayed in touch in retirement years. He loved his years of working outside and being able to enjoy life in the beautiful BC outdoors while making a living. He really enjoyed his job, not everyone can say that.

He very much embraced his sixteen years of retirement and always wondered how he'd managed to work, as he was always "busy" once he retired. He used to say the best part about doing nothing was never knowing when you were finished. Prior to his work at Telus, he worked as a psychiatric aide at what was then Riverview Psychiatric Hospital.

Theo was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last summer, and sadly that combined with existing COPD ended up being more than his body could handle. He truly fought bravely and without complaint. He faced his illness head on and fought as hard as he could. He never asked "why me", he just battled on until he ended up in the hospital a few days before he passed. On his final day, he simply couldn't take the suffering anymore and asked to be taken off the supportive measures that were keeping him alive. He was given medication to make him comfortable and it was thought he would pass in a day or two, but within 20 minutes he breathed his last breath. He was ready to go. As much as I hated losing him, it was a relief to see him no longer suffering. I had not seen him that peaceful in months.

He is survived by myself, his loving wife Susanne (McLellan) de Pencier, daughter's Trina (de Pencier) Martinon and Leah de Pencier, Son-in-Law Isaac Martinon, granddaughter Livia Ellestad, grandson Eli Martinon, big sister Geri de Pencier of Edmonton, as well as nieces, nephews, cousins, and so many good friends all over the world that are too numerous to count.

He was predeceased by his parents, Charles and Peggy (McGuinness) de Pencier, sister Katie (de Pencier) Hughes, and many furry friends, including beloved dogs Barclay and Wilson, and funny, crazy cat Astrophe. I'm sure they all came running to greet him at the Rainbow Bridge.

He will be sorely missed by so many, and I will love him forever. In lieu of flowers, if you so choose, please make a donation in Theo's memory to a charity of your choice or to the The Cancer Society for research, so that someday this evil disease will finally be vanquished.

A Celebration of Theo's life will be held at 2:00 pm Sunday July 26th at the Oceana Park Playhouse, home of the White Rock Players at 1532 Johnston Road in White Rock, BC. There is parking behind the building. Please wear your favorite summer outfit. Be casual and colorful, Theo was a casual and colorful guy.

There will be a reception in the lobby following the celebration. If you think you are able to attend, please send an email with who is attending to [email protected] so I can get an idea of numbers. Should you wish to be reminded of the date about a week beforehand, please indicate so in your email.