Derek and his younger brother Hugh didn’t have an easy start, but accomplished all they set out to achieve, and became truly remarkable people. Orphaned at age 4 and 3 during WWII, the boys were adopted by their maternal grandmother Florence Rance. Her influence was everything to them and whom they attribute their thirst for knowledge, drive and success. Only 8 years later Florence passed, and the boys were truly on their own. Earning multiple scholarships and bursaries for academics and sports, they thrived. Hugh pursued Doctorates in Geology and Mathematics, Derek in Mining and Engineering. Earning his BSc (Min.Eng.), Derek immigrated to Canada from South Africa. He worked briefly in Quebec before being accepted into the MBA program at Western University. He was a proud member of the “1963 MBA Golden Graduates”. There he also co-founded Western’s first rugby team and was a player & coach.

He returned to mining in 1963 and quickly climbed through the ranks and became recognized as an operational turnaround specialist. He refused a start in management as he wanted to understand Canadian miners and practices. He felt he couldn’t be an effective manager if he didn’t. He began his career as an equipment operator, then onto the blasting crew and finally plant operations, becoming the youngest mine manager in Canada at 34 with Dickenson Gold Mines.

He excelled, taking on increasingly challenging roles. Work life led him and his family to reside in 6 different provinces culminating in the role of President, COO for Cape Breton Development Corporation, President, COO Iron Ore Company of Canada and CEO of Behre Dolbear Canada.

As an early adopter of ISO 9000, the safety of the miners was paramount to Derek before all else. It was the first order of business and internally an accomplishment he was most proud of. His perfect record of turning a profit through efficient operations, usually after just the first year, to the end of his tenure for every mine he managed; some which were never profitable, even decades before.

While he proved himself adept in both underground and open pit operations, the iron ore industry was a particular specialty, and he travelled the world consulting for companies rebuilding operations. It became second nature and he could, after viewing a mine, present a viable business plan to fix operational inefficiencies within days.
Derek was very active outside of his primary work sitting on dozens of boards ranging from company, industry and charity directorships, as a board member and Chair. He was a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Outside of work he was an active member of the Canadian Aerophilic Society and wrote numerous articles on semi-official first flights. He loved combing through archives and meeting pilots and their family to glean any information any chance he could while working across Canada. He thoroughly enjoyed disproving conventional wisdom and effectively rewrote history on numerous flights. Derek was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Aerophilic for his countless articles published in their quarterly journals.

Derek was predeceased by his wife Cynthia Lingried Rance on April 14th, 2009, and is survived by his brother Hugh Rance, his sons Keith and Hugh, daughter-in-law Laureen and grandchildren Alexis, Harrison and Hunter.

Visitation will be held at Turner and Porter Funeral Home Yorke Chapel, 2357 Bloor St West. from 2pm-3pm on Saturday, January 17th. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, January 17th ay 3p.m. with the reception to follow.