Daryl Rodney Thorpe Foster

1935 - 2020

FOSTER, Daryl Rodney Thorpe Daryl Rodney Thorpe Foster was born February 12, 1935 to Ken and Jessie Foster and died October 29, 2020. He is survived by his wife of 57 years Sandy, daughters Lynn Ogden (Ron) and Christie (Paige), grandchildren Jessie and Sam, sister Barbara Hourston (nee Foster) and numerous nieces, nephews, first and second cousins. Daryl was born and raised in Royal Oak on Pipeline Road. Beaver Lake was his backyard, and this is where he spent most of his time fishing and developing his love for nature. As a young man Daryl started working for his uncles, Phil and Eric, at the Fernwood Garage. It was there he began his love affair with cars, he even worked in the 'pits' for his racing cousin Billy Foster. Daryl purchased his own hot rod, the 'Orange Crate', which he showed in local and western US car shows. He was one of the founding members of the Quarter Milers Car Club and successfully lobbied for a drag strip in Cobble Hill for use by local drag racing enthusiasts. Daryl shared his time between Victoria and Salt Spring Island (SSI) which captured his heart, so much so that he and Sandy later purchased 7.5 acres of waterfront where their growing family spent many happy years. Together they split their time between the two islands where the girls developed their own love for the outdoors, fishing and all creatures great and small. The SSI property hosted many family and work celebrations and was missed by the Fosters when it was sold in the mid 70's. Sailing became the next obsession for the Foster family. They would board their 26-foot sailboat "Tsonqua" in June, and spend the entire summer exploring the east coast of Vancouver Island. They had many amazing adventures and these memories are cherished. Daryl and Sandy's love for sailing led them to sailboat racing with the Canoe Bay Sailing Club. For many years, Daryl was a champion for the club and helped lead many events. In 1976, the Fosters went to Europe and skippered the 72-foot canal barge "The Enterprise", through the canals on a 6-month adventure with friends they had met while sailing the BC coast. Daryl and Sandy shared a love for local Indigenous art and culture. This led them to collect a wonderful assortment of argillite carvings, paintings and jewellery made by local artists and dear friends from Haida Gwaii. Daryl threw himself into all things, but none as fully as his devotion to his grandchildren Sam and Jessie, who he loved more than anything. He spent hours meticulously building a motorized go-cart (the mini orange crate), a bubble machine, and always came up with clever ways to dazzle the kids with his ability to build or fix just about anything. In his later years Daryl rekindled his love for boats by building dozens of award winning, internationally recognized Putt Putt boats. One of his boats even set a speed record which led to him being interviewed and featured in a German hobby magazine and gained him YouTube followers from around the world! Daryl acknowledged his love for Royal Oak, his family and friends by co-founding the Royal Oak Historical Society where a group of devoted historians continue to document, through humorous anecdotes and pictures, the colourful history of this dynamic community in Victoria. Sandy, Lynn and Christie would like to thank the doctors and nursing staff at the Victoria General Hospital - 4A South who cared for Daryl so tenderly in his final days. Daryl had a knack for making and keeping friendships, he cherished family and worked hard to maintain connections to both his friends and family. His life was blessed by so many people and while this is his final F & S Production he will live on in the memories of his friends and family - Daryl drops the mic!