Darren "Lee" James

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved Darren, affectionately known as Lee, who passed away at the age of 47, surrounded by those that loved him.

Born June 16, 1966 in Halifax, Darren was the beloved son of Kathleen (Pauls) James and the late Leslie James. Darren was a loving son, brother (in law), and friend to all that met him, but his favourite role of all was being Uncle Darren! He was always supportive and enthusiastic about his nieces and nephews achievement and involvements. Which st why we are so happy as a family that Uncle Darren attended and celebrated his nephew Elijah’s graduation on July 10. This is a gift we a will be eternally thankful for.

Through the years Darren held many positions at Sobeys, IGA and the Superstore, and until having to go on disability, he proudly worked as the N.S. hospital in housekeeping for several years, where he made too many friends to count. Darren faced many obstacles in his life. He had many health challenges and although sometimes frustrated, he met each one head-on with courage and great humor. Everybody knew him for his never-ending jokes. He persevered through all his struggles, and was a well-known resident in is his community. He lived life to the fullest, finding joy in the little things; perusing the Forum Flea Market every Sunday, darting into Great Things in Store (the local second hand shop), dining and socializing at Mary’s Place and Johnny’s Snackbar, and could often be seen getting his caffeine his fix at Tim’s or Steve-O-Reno’s. Darren was also a fixture at the local Shopper’s Drug Mart, where he could usually be found chatting with the Pharmacists about his personal care, or just touching base, something he was always keen to do. Darren knew that his time was precious, so with his loving niece Drew as his guide, he was able to take a trip of a lifetime. They traveled over the Rockies by train, played tourist in Vancouver, and had a wonderful time in Edmonton and Banff, with Kim and Rob, his sister and brother in law.

Over the past few years, Darren, with the help and support of his best friend, Yvon Clemet and his wife, Darlene Wenzel, Darren was introduced to the new roles of volunteer and athlete. Darren was an active member of the blind community and was involved with many organizations. He played goalball, a sport for the blind and visually impaired and although his time as an athlete was cut short when his health began to diminish, he continued to be involved on and off the courts. He participated in fundraisers, volunteered at the 2011 and 2013 Canadian Blind Sports National Senior Goalball Championships in Halifax, and the International Open Goalball Championships in Montreal. He also competed in the Halifax Visually Impaired Bowling League since 2010, and sat on the board as Second Vice President since 2011. Additionally, Darren exercised his love for crib every Friday night with his friends, Bard, Cleon, and Yvon. He had missed playing with his late father, who had taught him the game many years ago. Darren joined the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians' [AEBC] Halifax Chapter in May of 2012, where he became actively involved in advocating for equality of blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted Canadians. He travelled with members of AEBC to attend the AEBC National Conference and Annual General Meeting in Toronto where he joined members of the Halifax Chapter to receive the 2012 AEBC Volunteer of the Year Award.

Darren was also a supporter of the AEBC Braille Camp for blind Children, volunteering to raise funds for a new bursary program for blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted Nova Scotians. Recently, the bursary fund has been named as the Darren James Bursary Fund in his memory. Darren continued to want to help others, and was looking forward to another volunteer position with Capital Health in the near future. He was to assist at the clinic for the visually impaired and as he put it, he was stoked!

Darren was predeceased by his father, Leslie James, maternal grandparents, Cyril and Marjorie Pauls, paternal grandparents, Albert and Julia James.

He is survived by his mother, Kathleen, who will miss his daily visits, sisters, Kimberley Keohan (Rob), St. Albert Alberta, Karen, Kelly, (Wayne DeCoste), brother David, (Barb Fougere), nieces Bridgette and Drew DeCoste, nephews Elijah and Coren DeCoste and Mark Fougere, and his favorite feline, Marshmallow.

At this time we would like to thank the entire staff at Mary’s Place, the EHS paramedics, the QE 2 Emergency staff and the 5.2 ICU for all of their efforts, care, and concern for Darren.

Visitation will be held at Cruikshank’s Funeral Home, Windsor Street, Thursday, July 18 from 2-4 and 7-9. Service will be held in the funeral home chapel Friday July 19, at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, donations would be greatly appreciated to the C.N.I.B., the Canadian Diabetic Assoc. or any other of Darren’s causes.