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Turner & Porter Funeral Directors

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DEREK RANCE Obituary

Derek Rance, P.Eng, MBA, BSC (Min. Eng), F.C.I.M (September 27, 1936 – December 3, 2025) Derek and his younger brother Hugh didn't have an easy start, but accomplished all they set out to achieve, and became truly remarkable people. Orphaned at age 4 and 3 during WWII, the boys were adopted by their maternal grandmother, Florence Rance. Her influence was everything to them and whom they attribute their thirst for knowledge, drive and success. Only eight years later, Florence passed, and the boys were truly on their own. Earning multiple scholarships and bursaries for academics and sports, they thrived. Hugh pursued Doctorates in Geology and Mathematics, Derek in Mining and Engineering. Earning his BSc (Min.Eng.), Derek immigrated to Canada from South Africa. He worked briefly in Quebec before being accepted into the MBA program at Western University. He was a proud member of the "1963 MBA Golden Graduates." There he also co-founded Western's first rugby team and was a player and coach. He returned to mining in 1963 and quickly climbed through the ranks and became recognized as an operational turnaround specialist. He refused a start in management as he wanted to understand Canadian miners and practices. He felt he couldn't be an effective manager if he didn't. He began his career as an equipment operator, then onto the blasting crew and finally, plant operations, becoming the youngest mine manager in Canada at 34 with Dickenson Gold Mines. He excelled, taking on increasingly challenging roles. Work life led him and his family to reside in six different provinces, culminating in the role of President, COO for Cape Breton Development Corporation, President, COO Iron Ore Company of Canada and CEO of Behre Dolbear Canada. As an early adopter of ISO 9000, the safety of the miners was paramount to Derek before all else. It was the first order of business and internally an accomplishment he was most proud of. His perfect record of turning a profit through efficient operations, usually after just the first year, to the end of his tenure for every mine he managed; some which were never profitable, even decades before. While he proved himself adept in both underground and open pit operations, the iron ore industry was a particular specialty, and he travelled the world consulting for companies rebuilding operations. It became second nature and he could, after viewing a mine, present a viable business plan to fix operational inefficiencies within days. Derek was very active outside of his primary work sitting on dozens of boards ranging from company, industry and charity directorships, as a board member and Chair. He was a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Outside of work, he was an active member of the Canadian Aerophilic Society and wrote numerous articles on semi-official first flights. He loved combing through archives and meeting pilots and their family to glean any information any chance he could while working across Canada. He thoroughly enjoyed disproving conventional wisdom and effectively rewrote history on numerous flights. Derek was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Aerophilic for his countless articles published in their quarterly journals. Derek was predeceased by his wife, Cynthia Lingried Rance, on April 14, 2009, and is survived by this brother, Hugh Rance; his sons, Keith and Hugh; daughter-in-law, Laureen; and grandchildren, Alexis, Harrison and Hunter. Funeral Services will be held on January 17th at Turner and Porter Funeral Home , Yorke Chapel, 2357 Bloor St. West. Viewing at 2p.m. and service at 3p.m.

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Published by The Globe and Mail from Jan. 13 to Jan. 17, 2026.

Memories and Condolences
for DEREK RANCE

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6 Entries

Single Memorial Tree

Canadian Aerophilatelic Soc.

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TOM MARTINOVIC, P.Eng

January 29, 2026

I wish to clarify my previous message regarding my note for ISO - 9002, which may be misleading. That was an observation from my first internal audit of our ISO-9002 Quality System and it was a learning curve for all of us and it was meant as a joke.
Under the initiative and direction of Derek Rance and his full commitment to product quality, we have developed and implemented ISO-9002 Quality System in 1991 and IOC was the first Mining Company in the world to achieve the ISO-9002 quality certification. It has been successfully used as a tool for product quality control and produced a tremendous benefits for IOC.
Derek Rance was a great Manager and a Mentor in knowledge transfer.
Once again, my deepest condolences to all Derek's family.
Tom Martinovic, P.Eng.

TOM MARTINOVIC, P.Eng.

January 28, 2026

To all Derek's family,
I worked with Derek at IOC and we have also have done a few consulting projects together. On a light side, you may recall my name from Keith's (not sure if it was Keith or Hugh) wedding in Nova Scotia when
the Chairman of IOC Martin Walker mentioned that Tom Martinovic gave Derek Rance and Keith Eldridge an observation/nonconformance for ISO-9002 adherence. That was me.
Derek was a great Manager and an excellent Leader. I truly enjoyed working with him.
My deepest condolences to all Derek's family,
Tom Martinovic, P.Eng.

Sir Roger Hamilton Don-Wauchope

January 16, 2026

Cousin Sallee and Roger send his family our deepest condolences for the loss of Derek. We have wonderful memories of being with him during our visits to Canada and his to South Africa. Sallee remembers with fondness his school days in Durban in the 1940's and 1950's

Single Memorial Tree

Douglas Morrison

Planted Trees

Georgie and Nick

January 14, 2026

A remarkable man, with a life well lived. He will be truly missed. Condolences to all. You are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Showing 1 - 6 of 6 results

Memorial Events
for DEREK RANCE

Jan

17

Viewing

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Turner & Porter Funeral Directors

2357 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON

Jan

17

Funeral service

3:00 p.m.

Turner & Porter Funeral Directors

2357 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON

Funeral services provided by:

Turner & Porter Funeral Directors

2357 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M6S 1P4