Regina man reaching new heights in memory of his beloved father
The love between a father and son is hard to put into words.
The love for a man who touched the lives of everyone he met is also hard to articulate.
Dave Driver does it with ease — not so much with words, but with a look of quiet strength and affection and the demeanour of a man humbled by the greatness, and the loss, of his father.
“My dad was an amazing man,” said Dave. “When he got sick I realized how much of an impact he’d had on so many people’s lives with all the people that came to visit him and all the letters and stories that came in.”
Dave’s father, Al Driver, died in January 2016 after a short battle with colon cancer.
He had retired about eight years earlier after a 30-year career at the Regina Leader-post — first as a copy boy, then a sports reporter, a sports editor and finally, news editor.
While the stress of the job was a challenge amid the many rounds of cutbacks that happened at the paper over the years, Al loved the people he worked with and became close friends with many of them.
He is remembered by those who knew him as a man who put family first, lived a simple life and made others happy.
In honour of his father, Dave is heading to Banff, Alta., to climb Mount Rundle, Al’s favourite mountain.
After spreading some of his ashes at the base of the mountain last year, Dave vowed to go back and do the same at the top.
“I guess I’m hoping maybe I’ll be able to find some peace,” said Dave.
He’s is also using the opportunity to raise money for the Children’s Wish Foundation, a charity both he and his father have supported in the past.
“I figured rather than just doing this to honour my father, I’d maybe make it a little bit more important and a little bit more special and try to help some other people,” he said.
Dave has created a Gofundme page called Climb for Kids, which as of Saturday afternoon had reached $1,615 of his $2,000 goal. He hopes to surpass that goal.
The climb will take approximately six to eight hours. While no special equipment will be needed, he said it is quite a strenuous hike, especially as he attempts it while recovering from a torn ACL. Dave has arranged to have a guide accompany him to make sure he doesn’t get lost, and to help him out if his knee gives him trouble.
“He’ll be there with me when I climb it,” said Dave of his father.
He said he hears from his dad all the time in different ways. Whether it’s coming across coins at his kids sports games or finding a feather on the front walk — both believed by some to signify their loved one is trying to reach out — he knows his dad is never far.
In between those moments, Dave carries with him the lessons learned from his father.
“When he got sick and we knew that he was going to pass on, it just makes you put your life in perspective and realize what’s important and what’s not,” said Dave. “You think about being in that spot when you’re older and not wanting to have any regrets.”
Losing his dad reinforced for Dave the importance of prioritizing family over work.
“There’s been moments where I’ve been focused on working very hard, trying to make a lot of money,” said Dave.
His dad taught him to make time for his family even when life gets busy.
Remembered by his family as an amazing father and doting grandfather, he’s also remembered by former colleagues as a man who excelled at his work.
“If the Leader-post had a hall of fame, Al Driver would be in it,” Leader-post sports reporter and columnist Rob Vanstone reminisced in a Facebook message. “It never felt like work when Al was around. The work would get done, but not before we had a lot of laughs.”
Dave and his family will be going to Calgary for four days on a family vacation at the end of the month.
On July 27, Dave’s birthday, he’ll make a day trip to Mount Rundle to spread the ashes of his father and hopefully, find a little peace. jackerman@postmedia.con