Neil was a truly lovely man. Whenever we saw each other on campus, we would stop and chat. He was happily erudite and gorgeously articulate. (After talking to him, I finally had a handle on the prose of John Donne. That bit of instruction was accomplished on a jam-packed Vancouver bus.)

From Kwantlen‘s announcement:

Neil was a much-beloved member of the English Department for over 20 years, and this loss will be felt deeply by many colleagues, staff, students, and alumni.

Neil’s tremendous kindness, generosity, and unfailing support for students were at the heart of everything he did.  Neil was first hired at KPU in 2004, and he played a foundational role in the English department – contributing to the development of the B.A. Major in English and inspiring so many students in his courses.  Neil was always at the ready to serve the department wherever help was needed.  He was active for a long time on the Search, English Placement Test, and PD Committees. He was also a steadfast member of the Curriculum, Educational Planning, and Library Committees. 

Neil brought learning to life for English majors. His dedication to teaching and his passion for all things Renaissance will be dearly missed.  Neil’s amazing laugh always filled the English department’s hallway with warmth, and his unfailing wit was a constant source of great conversation and insight.  The summer semester was undoubtedly Neil’s favourite as he repeatedly attended Bard on the Beach and shared this passion for theatre with KPU students and colleagues.  Whenever Neil took part in the KPU Open House, he would challenge passersby at the English department’s display table to choose any passage from the Riverside Chaucer, defying them to find a quotation that he could not identify.

Neil derived tremendous joy from sharing his knowledge of literature with his students.  Teaching was truly his life’s calling.  Former students have shared that Neil awakened them to the beauty of poetry. Indeed, Neil was known for adding “hopefully a few moments of beauty” as a learning objective on his course syllabi. Neil also worked for many years in the Learning Centre where he supported students in integral ways during their time at KPU.   He cared for KPU students both as young literary scholars and as people on life’s journey. …

The KPU flags will be lowered upon confirmation of a date by the family. A memorial event will take place in the early Fall on the Surrey campus for faculty, staff, and students to pay tribute to Neil.

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Neil seemed always to be sharing delight in a kind of communion with life and language that he brought others into. To honour him I have made a donation to Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach.

[updated June 15]