Obituary of Roger Derenzis

DERENZIS, RogerIt is with heavy hearts we share the sad news that ROGER DERENZIS passed away peacefully on Tuesday June 23, 2020 at the age of 81 years. His journey had become difficult and we are comforted knowing that his burdens have been lifted.He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 56 years, Diane (nee Rudell), his adored daughters Christina (Peter), Dina (Jared) and Lisa (Greg) and his cherished grandchildren, Mallory and Jordan Phillips. He is also survived by his brother, Jim (Paula) and nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents Natalina and Nicola Derenzis as well as his brother, Angelo.Roger was born on January 29, 1939 in North Bay, Ontario and was deeply attached to the city, regularly following the North Bay Nugget to read about friends from his school days at Scollard Hall. In 1960 he joined the Canada Revenue Agency in Sudbury, where he met his wife Diane. A job promotion brought him to Ottawa in 1964 where he worked for 37 years before his retirement in 1997.Roger was a dedicated family man and a doting father to his daughters. He was a spiritual man involved in many parish activities, as well as the Ottawa Cursillo Movement where he served in a variety of roles. He was an enthusiastic sports fan, actively playing baseball, hockey, and golf for most of his life. His passion for golf was widely known, especially his bellowing trademark phrase, “birdie” with his foursome, The Apostles, or any of his other golfing buddies from the Carleton Golf & Yacht Club and the Rideauview Golf Club. Roger joined the Silver Foxes hockey team and played Elder Skatesmen hockey until he was 75 years old. He even has the hockey card to prove it, as well as a gold medal from the 2012 Snoopy’s Senior World Hockey Tournament.With his involvement in sports, it is no surprise that Roger was extremely social. He loved the camaraderie associated with all sports and liked nothing better than a cold beer or margarita, some country music and a spirited discussion at favorite haunts such as The Windsor, The Prescott and Mexi’s. In his retirement, Roger kept a busy social schedule with the ROMEO gang, volunteering with the Goodwill Ambassadors at Ottawa Senators hockey games and playing in a bridge league.Visitation will be held at Capital Funeral Home & Cemetery3700 Prince of Wales Drive613-692-1211Monday, June 29, 2020 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. *Pursuant to maximum attendance regulations, please call the funeral home to pre-register your visit. Entry will be strictly limited to registered visitors attending at their confirmed time-frame only.*The Funeral Mass will be celebrated in the presence of immediate family members only on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at Our Lady of Visitation Church. Interment Capital Funeral Home & Cemetery. Live-stream of the Funeral Mass will be available on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 beginning at 11 a.m. Live stream and Virtual Link below for those family and friends to view: http://distantlink.com/dlm19.html Password - Arbor2020. Condolences and Sharing Memories at www.capitalmemorial.ca. The family wishes to extend sincere thanks to Roger’s doctors and nurses at The Ottawa General Hospital for the excellent care and compassion he received. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Roger’s name to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation - General Campus.Dad was highly respected and had a profound impact on many peoples’ lives. His positivity, engaging smile and boundless zest for life will be deeply missed by all, but forever remembered in our hearts.“The heart is never ready, the time is never right to say good-bye.”