Obituary of Derrick Balan

Derrick Rocky Balan, born 16 May 1952 in Toronto, died 31 October 2025 in Toronto, age 73.

We announce the death of our dad, Derrick, with sadness but also with no shortage of love, respect, and gratitude. It was hard to see you hurt and hard to see you leave, but we are happy we were with you to the end. We feel the huge hole in our heavy hearts, and we fill them with the love, memories, and shared experiences we had with you. Our lives were your life, and your life was our life together. You were and remain our father, an ancestor, and a relation to whom we are so deeply tied. You left us, but you also left us your life to honour and celebrate in all of its hills and valleys, its big things and small things—a life like ours. We mourn and we grieve, but we celebrate and laugh because we are joyful about the shared time we had together.

You were generous, kind, and loving, and you were stubborn, obstinate, and difficult. We didn't always agree, but we respected your resolve and sense of purpose in all things. You were good with a pen, never without a comb, a sharp card player, an amazing baseball player, and someone with a penchant for systems and numbers. You liked horses. You ran businesses, worked jobs of all kinds, and were a worker, toiling and trying to build and save what you could for us. You drove hundreds of kilometers some days to make ends meet, waking up early, ordering soffits at 6am, and driving us all around to all the things that organized our lives and time together. You loved music, and we have memories of the old case of 45s; and, yes, we love the DB Favourites #1-3 CD collection. You were a dad, a son, a brother, a husband, a partner, a grandfather, a father-in-law, an uncle, a cousin, and a coach. You were a friend to those in need, and you supported those around you. You had a deep sense of justice, and you were attuned to the everyday inequality and injustice in the world. Rightfully, it angered you, and you did your best to respond.

We are trying to make sense of our collective time with you, and we miss you. We miss your voice. We miss your life. We know it wasn't always easy. We know about the hurt, the wins and losses. We know about the battles. We know it was often hard. But we know you always had an analysis, the willingness to get up, and the wherewithal to struggle and push back in order to keep the world open for all of us and for everyone around you. We admire your perseverance and your irreverence. We remember the jokes, the humour, and the easy way about you when things felt good, We keep that with us.

You continued the line from your mother and father, Clara (Cureatz) (1927-2012) and Fred Balan (1925-2008). We remember you and your time with Ivana Balan (DiFrancesco), our mom. And we mark your later life with your partner, Bonnie Kitamura (d. 2017). You leave behind your sisters, Angela and Linda, and your brother, Larry. And we think of your grandchildren, who will remember with fondness their Grandpa D and Grumpa D-Rock: Jack, Evie, Quade, Annabel, Keaton, Grace, Charlie, and Victoria. They will carry your memories and your life into the future. Ryan, Sally, Peggy, and Keley will miss your presence. And we think of all the nieces, nephews, family, friends, kin, and relations whose lives you touched. We are all grateful that you were in the world with all of us, tied to all of us.

To everyone reading, please know that we'll be holding a celebration of life for Derrick sometime in the late spring or summer of 2026. Details to come.

And last, from Adam, Lori, Ryan, and Neil: Derrick and Dad, we love you, and we'll see you out there and everywhere. You're gone, but you also live on. Rest in peace, and rest in power.