Headlines!/October 16, 1996

Obituary |
John DePape

John DePape, one of the founders .
of the Agriculture department at
UCFV, passed away recently at the ©
age of 68. John joined what was
then Fraser Valley College in the
mid-70s. He was originally hired by
the Continuing Education
department to offer extension
courses. This evolved into a
one-year agriculture program, and
then to the diplomas and certificates
offered today.

“John had a real devotion to
agriculture and to his students,”
recalls Dean of Applied Programs
Dick Bate. “He just loved to be at
the college, working with animals
and teaching.”

Before coming to the college, he
was manager of the Buckerfields
farm. Here are some remembrances
from colleagues:

Rose Morrison:

John will be remembered with affection
as a kind and resourceful person who
was well liked by students and
colleagues. I first met John in 1985 and
over the years we came to know each
other well. a .

Fond working memories include. _
chasing calves all over Meadowbrook at
midnight and cleaning up a flooded
(manure-y) barn floor after the pipes
burst one icy Saturday.

John was famous for his barbecue
skills and always willing to don an
apron and fire up the grill; in fact, it is
mainly due to John’s talent and
personality that that well-known UCFV

phrase “those aggies sure know how to.

throw a party” came into being. Other ,
phrases evocative of John include, “The
cow is stuck upstairs in the barn”, “T -
baked these cookies myself”, and (after
either Norma Senn or myself had come
in a bad mood), “Is it safe to come out
yet?”

Highlights for John included student
graduation ceremonies, choosing the
department's tractor and pick-up truck
(back in the days when we had a capital
purchases budget), and helping to design
the barn. He was genuinely interested in

John DePape was famous for his barbecue skills.

his students and many came back to visit .

him over the years.

John, friend, I remember you yu fondly,
and wish you the peace that passes all
understanding.

Norma Senn: I think of John as a
caring, kind person who could turn his
hands to any task, who loved a party and
enjoyed life. I have lots of good
memories about the first few v years of
the two-year
agriculture programs
where John, Rose,

Duncan Jeffries and
I pitched in and
worked together on
all sorts of projects.

I remember with
special fondness our
early provincial field
trips where we
loaded students up in
a van and drove to
Dawson Creek. It
would be an
incredibly long drive,
since we made as few
stops on the way
north as possible.
However, we always
spent an inordinate
amount of time
laughing on those

“trips because John, the students,
and I would swap jokes, and the
students would sing the silliest
songs for miles on end. ~

John loved tractor driving (and
working with any kind of
equipment: the bigger the better);
he would be out on the department
tractor doing recreational tillage at
the drop of a hat. John loved to
teach by doing, and he would be in

- the midst of any group of students

involved in hands-on work.
~ John was always ready for a golf

game and we used to enjoy heading, -
down to the Par 3 golf course after.
work. His enthusiasm for the game
was such that Rose Morrison,
Fenella Sobchuk and I took golf
lessons together so we could go —
golfing with John.

When he retired, many former

~ students came back to “roast” John. The

phrase Rose and I remember from a
student poem about John was that he
was a “big ol’ bear” — we know that the

“- description indicated the respect and

affection the students had for John. He
will be remembered with affection and

‘he will be missed.: