Appreciation: Derek Coope
Derek Coope passed away suddenly on January 15 while playing at Oban Chess Club in The Royal Hotel.
He has left a huge gap not only for his beloved family but throughout the whole community. He was 81 years old.
Derek’s huge defining characteristic was his love of life. He lived life to the full and was lucky enough to be able to do whatever he wanted to do.
Derek was born on the September 26, 1938 in Luton. He had a happy childhood although distinctly remembered the air raid shelters at school as bombs dropped around them.
He attended Leeds University and graduated as a chemist before going to work in the oil industry. However he became fed-up being ‘stuck’ in a laboratory all day and decided to retrain as a teacher.
He taught maths at various schools, colleges and universities over the years, but the most enjoyable and exciting teaching experience was when he spent three years in Africa.
When three of their four children had left home, Derek, Joyce and youngest son Dan left for three years to live in Abidjan on the Ivory Coast.
Here Derek taught mathematics and FORTRAN and loved working with all the African students, taken by how everyone really wanted to learn and found it a privilege to be at university.
When one of Derek’s colleagues was returning to the UK and wanted to drive his Land Rover back, Derek, always up for an adventure, offered to accompany him along with another colleague. So, two mathematicians and an accountant, set off from Abidjan heading for England in the days before mobile phones and the internet.
When they reached the Algerian border, the guards refused to let them through unless they joined a convoy since many individual vehicles were becoming lost. They followed a Nissan Patrol but soon parted company. Derek and his chums became completely lost in Algeria! They managed to roll the Land Rover off the road and it became stuck fast. After a day of shovelling sand, they eventually got it upright and, with the help of a ‘boy scout’s compass’, retraced their steps to the border post. They were held until a longer caravan was due to go through and eventually made it to safety in the UK.
Derek’s scientific mind allowed his life to be one of questions and finding answers, making it exciting, unique and constantly changing.
Although not practical, Derek had so many interests and was always out at evening classes, chess clubs, playing rugby and watching both football and rugby. He was a passionate wildlife lover and a member of the Scottish Wildlife Trust. He belonged to the U3A and was a regular attendee at both the local science and geology meetings. He pursued an interest in buses and trains, and collected just about every magazine issued on the subject.
Derek was also a great animal lover and would often be accompanied at home on his sofa by dogs, usually three springer spaniels which belonged to his friends. Derek and Joyce also helped out an animal rescue centre near Granada in Spain every year while their friend took a break.
Derek was a great storyteller and he embellished tales and when challenged as to the accuracy of them, he’d say: ‘Never spoil a story by telling the truth.’ Everyone knew this was a ‘Derekism’
And there were the famous ‘Derek Days’. If the weather was dreich in the morning, he’d often decide to have a ‘Derek Day’ – this meant he did as little as possible all day and sat on the sofa with ‘Auntie Poppie’s’ blanket watching movies. Derek loved music, archaeology and Star Trek, watching episodes endlessly in true Trekkie style. He loved comfy clothes and Joyce described him as the world’s happiest scruff!
An enthusiastic mountain walker in his younger years, he and Joyce covered many of the UK long-distance paths and also back-packed extensively in the Pyrennes, the Andes and New Zealand. But it was Scotland, and the West Coast, that drew him back time after time. He loved the mountains and the sea and always dreamed about living here. His dream came true when in 2001 he and Joyce moved from Greater London to Oban.
Derek had a long held passion for football and rugby. He was a member of the Ground Hoppers Circuit cult visiting almost ‘never heard of’ clubs to watch their matches. Known as the ’92 Club’ in England, Derek managed to tick- off each of the 92 grounds in his book. After moving to Scotland, he visited all the Scottish non-league football grounds apart from Stranraer and Brora Rangers.
A larger than life character, Derek was rarely depressed and usually full of humour and quick wit. Although latterly beset by a variety of health problems he never let these issues prevent him living life to the full right to the end. He loved attending the Healthy Options classes at Atlantis and always had a good word to say about the trainers.
He was supposed to be on a controlled low fat, sugar free, dairy free diet, with only one glass of wine a week, but just loved everything he shouldn’t eat. He adored Kit-Kats and bought masses – most of which Joyce hid in the salad drawer of the fridge for 19 years and he never found them! After he passed away Joyce discovered a large sack in his Derek’s study, well hidden, containing 24 packs of Cheesie quavers and Doritos.
Chess was a huge love in Derek’s life and he willingly and diligently helped his friend Duncan run the Rockfield chess club every Monday afternoon. Derek loved the social and informal aspects of club tournament chess, and was never happier than in a large group at a pre- or post-match meal. He had considerable success in major and minor events. A stalwart member of Oban Chess Club, he played for them in the SNCL, particularly loving the ‘friendlies’ against the islands such as Mull and Islay.
It was fitting that he collapsed while setting up his pieces at the weekly meeting of Oban Chess Club, with all the possibilities of the next game still to come.
Derek was a caring, happy, friendly and interesting man and a devoted father to his four children and grandchildren.
He left his body to medical science, and both the Dove Centre and the North Argyll Carers’ Centre benefited from the retiring collection.
Derek leaves behind his beloved wife Joyce and children Mandy, Debbie, Jason and Dan, along with his grandchildren, Alex, Nico, Ross and Hugh. AC