Obituary of Cecil Stanley Darby

DARBY, Cecil Stanley of South Surrey, B.C. died peacefully at the Laurel Place Hospice on December 23, 2015 at the age of 86. He was surrounded by his loving family; wife, Erna, and daughters, Michelle and Kelly (Greg) and son Martin. Cecil was born in Selkirk Manitoba to Edward and Nellie Dabrowski. They soon moved to Calgary where Cecil’s two brothers, Manuel and Walter were born. Cecil’s career was launched in Calgary with CP Rail. Trains became his livelihood and passion for the rest of his life. In 1949 Cecil met his wife Erna at the Calgary Stampede, while she was visiting from Vancouver. They were married in 1951 in Vancouver, and then started their family in Calgary while Cecil continued working at CP Rail. Cecil was a very hard worker, and his career took him to Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Revelstoke, and Kamloops. He then retired from the CPR in 1986 at the young age of 55. Cecil started his next career the following week at the Transportation Safety Board as an Accident Investigator. This career change brought him back to B.C., where he settled with Erna in their home at Nico Wynd. Cecil immediately became very active in the Star of the Sea Parish, where he ushered for 30 years. Cecil was dedicated to his fitness regime of swimming and exercising. He loved to walk the dyke surrounding the golf course and was an avid hunter for lost golf balls. In 2000 he finally took his 2nd retirement. Cecil was the President of the CP Pensioners Association where he enjoyed seeing his Railroad friends. Everywhere Cecil went he made friends – he will be sorely missed by those friends at both the Pensioners Association and the Star of the Sea Parish. In 2012 Cecil and Erna moved to The Royal Pacifica Residence where he became active on the Advisory team at the Residence. The management and staff at Pacifica have been wonderful to Cecil throughout his three short years there. His regret was he did not move in two years earlier. Cecil is survived by his wife Erna, 5 children, 6 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. Funeral Mass will be held at Star of the Sea Parish 1153 Fir Street White Rock, BC on December 31st at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers a donation to your local food bank in his honor would be appreciated.