Donald Ernest Hoops

On May 17, 2021 Don Hoops passed away with his family by his side.  He will be remembered with love by Phyllis, his wife of 66 years, his children Stephen and Colleen (Neil) and grandchildren Russell (Mackenzie) and Maryse (Gavin).

Don was born in Telkwa, BC, the youngest of five children.  Imagine his youth spent carrying buckets of water from the river, hunting for Ptarmigan birds for dinner and stoking coal in the one room schoolhouse as his first job.  His family moved to Chilliwack where he completed his high school, was a cadet in the airforce and commenced his studies to become a Registered Industrial Accountant (RIA).

Don started his 40 plus year career at Howe Sound Pulp & Paper (Canfor) by commuting on a steamship from Vancouver to Port Mellon every Sunday returning to Vancouver on Friday evenings.  He completed his accounting designation by working many late evenings and weekends and became the mill’s Chief Accountant and Officer Manager.  He was known to many as “Fingers Hoops”!  Don volunteered his accounting skills to local organizations including Kiwanis and the Soames Point Water Works, explored business opportunities with other local professionals, and was a little league coach.

Don met Phyllis at a church youth group meeting and worked up his courage to ask her on an “interesting” date the following New Year’s Eve (ask her about road-blocks, an umbrella and how her father gave her permission to marry Don the very first time he met Don!).  They were married on July 16, 1955, when they moved to Gibsons and built their home in Soames Point where they lived and raised their family for 62 years.  They were best friends and did everything together including badminton and square dancing.  They had a wonderful circle of friends that lasted a lifetime.

Don loved his vacations!  He enjoyed the annual family camping trip to Skaha Lake, starting out in a borrowed canvas tent for two weeks morphing after retirement into spending the entire summer in a comfortable trailer, water skiing and teaching his grandchildren to fish.  He and Phyllis wintered in Mazatlan, Mexico in their motorhome, enjoying coffee and drinks with their neighbours, reading books and walking on the beach.  They also enjoyed many cruises and tours around the world!  Reading the newspaper (particularly the sports page and the coupons!) and watching hockey on TV were favorite pastimes.

Don was a kind and thoughtful man.  He was always curious and interested in others, quick to say thank you.  He was a “meat and potatoes” man with a weakness for peanuts (which he often sneaked!).

He asked us to pass on a special thank you to Dr. Spithoff, Dr. Wadge, the Dignadice family and the staff at VCH, Christensen Village and Sechelt Hospital who assisted him during the last year.

We will miss Don and think of him with love in our hearts always.

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