Obituary for Stanley James Dunster
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Stanley James Dunster, 85, on Monday, March 7, 2022 at 9:35 pm. He died at home, surrounded by his family.
Stan was born on October 17, 1936, in Vancouver, BC and lived in the lower mainland for most of his life. He married Deanna Dunster (née Price) in 1959 at Olivet Baptist Church, and they were happily married for almost 63 years.
Stan was an award-winning teacher, having received the “Sheila Cameron” award for excellence in teaching, and his students loved him. He earned a Bachelor of Business Education degree from UBC and a Masters of Business Education from the University of Washington and taught at Britannia Secondary School in Vancouver in the early 60's for a couple years before accepting an opportunity to teach overseas in Germany on a Canadian Armed Forces base for two years with his young family in tow.
Upon returning to Canada, Stan and his family put roots down in Coquitlam where he taught at Centennial Senior Secondary School in the business department for over 3 decades.
After retiring from teaching Stan and Deanna were employed as tour guides with different companies which gave them the opportunity to travel throughout Europe, Hawaii, the Middle East, North Africa, Alaska, the Caribbean, and throughout Continental USA and Canada.
Stan was a faithful member of his church and filled every role in the church at some point serving with wisdom and a caring heart. He was also a carpenter, a builder, a gardener, an artist, a published author, a speaker, and a great lover of music. He had a strong sense of adventure, took chances, never stopped learning and discovering, and was always happy to take his family along for the ride.
Stan was probably best known for his sense of humour. He saw the funny side in everything, taught us through example to laugh at ourselves, and never missed an opportunity for a pun. Even in the later stages of dementia when he didn’t understand what was going on, he never missed a joke.
To his wife, Deanna he was a loving husband and cheerleader. He never stopped romancing her, he made sure she had every opportunity to become whatever she wanted to be, supported her in chasing her dreams, and believed she could do anything she set her heart on to do.
To his kids, Dad was a hero. We adored him. He let us be just who we were. He believed in all of us, recognized our potential, and did everything he could to open doors for us to try new things, take lessons, explore the world, and push our boundaries. He was up for everything. When we wanted to try something, learn something, explore something, his answer was “Just tell me where and when and I’ll get you there.”
Mostly, Stan was kind. If someone was in need, Stan was there - building, repairing, assisting, paying, praying, walking alongside. He was a man of mercy and goodness. You could call on him any time of the day or night, and he’d be by your side doing whatever needed to be done, quietly and without fanfare.
Stan is survived by his wife, Deanna, his kids Debbie, Darlene (Tom), Lynda and Logan (Judith); his grandchildren Sara (Jeff), Ashley (Todd). Travis, Simon, and Taran: and his great grandson Zain.
A private Celebration of Stan’s Life was held on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 in Calgary.
It’s hard to believe he’s gone. Hard to believe it’s even possible for a man so full of life to actually die. To say he’ll be missed is an understatement. It was our greatest privilege to help walk him to the other side where Jesus was waiting with open arms.
Heaven’s gonna love him! We can’t wait to see what he’s gonna do with the place now that he’s there!
To honour his memory, we invite you to perform a random act of kindness in his name. To view and share photos, condolences and memories of Stan, please visit www.choicememorial.com.
Stan was born on October 17, 1936, in Vancouver, BC and lived in the lower mainland for most of his life. He married Deanna Dunster (née Price) in 1959 at Olivet Baptist Church, and they were happily married for almost 63 years.
Stan was an award-winning teacher, having received the “Sheila Cameron” award for excellence in teaching, and his students loved him. He earned a Bachelor of Business Education degree from UBC and a Masters of Business Education from the University of Washington and taught at Britannia Secondary School in Vancouver in the early 60's for a couple years before accepting an opportunity to teach overseas in Germany on a Canadian Armed Forces base for two years with his young family in tow.
Upon returning to Canada, Stan and his family put roots down in Coquitlam where he taught at Centennial Senior Secondary School in the business department for over 3 decades.
After retiring from teaching Stan and Deanna were employed as tour guides with different companies which gave them the opportunity to travel throughout Europe, Hawaii, the Middle East, North Africa, Alaska, the Caribbean, and throughout Continental USA and Canada.
Stan was a faithful member of his church and filled every role in the church at some point serving with wisdom and a caring heart. He was also a carpenter, a builder, a gardener, an artist, a published author, a speaker, and a great lover of music. He had a strong sense of adventure, took chances, never stopped learning and discovering, and was always happy to take his family along for the ride.
Stan was probably best known for his sense of humour. He saw the funny side in everything, taught us through example to laugh at ourselves, and never missed an opportunity for a pun. Even in the later stages of dementia when he didn’t understand what was going on, he never missed a joke.
To his wife, Deanna he was a loving husband and cheerleader. He never stopped romancing her, he made sure she had every opportunity to become whatever she wanted to be, supported her in chasing her dreams, and believed she could do anything she set her heart on to do.
To his kids, Dad was a hero. We adored him. He let us be just who we were. He believed in all of us, recognized our potential, and did everything he could to open doors for us to try new things, take lessons, explore the world, and push our boundaries. He was up for everything. When we wanted to try something, learn something, explore something, his answer was “Just tell me where and when and I’ll get you there.”
Mostly, Stan was kind. If someone was in need, Stan was there - building, repairing, assisting, paying, praying, walking alongside. He was a man of mercy and goodness. You could call on him any time of the day or night, and he’d be by your side doing whatever needed to be done, quietly and without fanfare.
Stan is survived by his wife, Deanna, his kids Debbie, Darlene (Tom), Lynda and Logan (Judith); his grandchildren Sara (Jeff), Ashley (Todd). Travis, Simon, and Taran: and his great grandson Zain.
A private Celebration of Stan’s Life was held on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 in Calgary.
It’s hard to believe he’s gone. Hard to believe it’s even possible for a man so full of life to actually die. To say he’ll be missed is an understatement. It was our greatest privilege to help walk him to the other side where Jesus was waiting with open arms.
Heaven’s gonna love him! We can’t wait to see what he’s gonna do with the place now that he’s there!
To honour his memory, we invite you to perform a random act of kindness in his name. To view and share photos, condolences and memories of Stan, please visit www.choicememorial.com.