WILLIAM
(LAURIE) MAY
July
11, 1951 – November 23, 2013
On Saturday, November 23, 2013, at the
Victoria General Hospital, surrounded by his beloved wife, family and friends,
Laurie, at 62 years of age, lost his battle with Multiple Systems Atrophy.
Athletics and education were pivotal to his character development, and
ironically, in the end, the disease robbed him of both.
As a student at Elmwood High School
in the late sixties and early seventies, Laurie excelled in basketball, track
and football. He was more than a “sports star”. He was also a serious and
hardworking student. His ability to read people and situations and his superior
command of English, made him a natural leader – a quality his fellow classmates
at Elmwood recognized when he was elected school president in his grade twelve
year.
During this same time period, Laurie
was also following his passion for hockey until a broken leg shattered his
future in that sport. Sidelined for months with his injury, the athlete became
focused on his studies and the student became the teacher.
Laurie was a creative, witty, master
educator, who had the innate ability to make even the dry and boring topics
excite his classes. He taught for more
than 30 years, initially at Tec Voc, but for most of his professional career he
taught English at Daniel McIntyre Collegiate.
It was at Daniel McIntyre that Laurie made
his mark as an educator and a basketball coach.
For Laurie academics were essential but “the other half “of education
for his students was acquired on the basketball court. He believed that
basketball was a metaphor for life and if you could excel on the court you
could excel in life.
Over the years, Laurie coached many
successful teams and even won a few Provincial Championships. However, for
Laurie, the biggest thrill came from watching the students he coached grow up
and become “successful” people off the basketball court. Those successes were
the real trophies.
Laurie leaves to mourn his wife and soul-mate
of 28 years, Deb; daughters, Leslie and Lisa May; mother, Betty Van der Aa;
sister, Shelley Kubic; and brother, Corey Van der Aa. Also grieving his passing
are his mother-in- law, Elsie Dudar; brother-in-law, Ray Dudar; and
sister-in-law, Nancy Arason; many relatives and many special friends.
A “Celebration of Life” will be held on
Saturday, December 14, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. in Alumnae Hall, at St. Mary’s
Academy, 550 Wellington Crescent.
Thanks goes out to the Palliative Care
Program, the Homecare Program and the team of nurses, physiotherapists and
occupational therapists that helped Laurie through his illness. A special “thank you” to Dr. S. Sami for
over-seeing his care.
If you would like to honor Laurie’s memory,
flowers gratefully declined. Instead,
please donate to a charity of your choice.
Wojcik’s
Funeral Chapel & Crematorium, 2157 Portage Avenue, 204 – 897 – 4665, is in
care of arrangements. wojciksfuneralchapel.com.
“A hundred years from
now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in
or the kind of car I drove……but the world may be different because I was
important in the life of a child”
Anonymous
Wojcik’s
FUNERAL CHAPEL & CREMATORIUM
2157 PORTAGE AVENUE
204 – 897 - 4665
www.wojciksfuneralchapel.com
