Luis Manuel Duran

Luis Manuel Duran passed away peacefully in the early hours of January 29th 2025, at the age of 78, in the comfort of his own home, to rest with his beloved late wife (Sylvia Rosemary), his mother (Beatriz Alicia Duran Orozco), and his father (Manuel Duran Pineyro). Luis is survived by his three sons, James (Brigitte), Stephen (Katie), and Andrew; his five grandchildren (Raphael, Dominique, Max, Gavin and Jason); and his younger brother (Arturo).

Luis was born in Mexico City, where he and his brother spent their childhoods and participated in Scouts Mexico as cubs with their uncle Jaime (the Scout Commissioner). At the young age of 13, Luis made the brave trek to Vancouver with his mother and brother, following the early passing of his father. In 1981, Luis carried on his childhood tradition and became a member of Scouts Canada, where he enjoyed camping in the British Columbia wilderness and cherished the quality time spent with his children and his grandchildren. In Vancouver, the Durans were founding members of the Spanish Canadian Club. Luis and Beatriz were also both in the inaugural class of Simon Fraser University (SFU), Luis as a student and his mother as a Spanish language instructor. 

While at SFU, Luis met the love of his life, Sylvia. Luis and Sylvia travelled extensively together before returning to the Greater Vancouver Area, where they raised their three sons and watched their five grandchildren grow. During his adult life, Luis remained at SFU, where he could frequently be seen hiking Burnaby Mountain, and became the manager of the university library loans division, until suffering an unfortunate incident which placed him in a coma. Determined to spend more time with his family and true to his character, Luis woke from his coma after four months with a smile. Luis loved to travel, and during retirement, he spent time in Egypt and China and enjoyed cruises and vacations in the Caribbean and Disney Land. Luis continued to camp throughout British Columbia with his family and treasured time spent at his cottage in Hatzic Lake watching his grandchildren play. 

Luis will be remembered by all who knew him for his quick wit, his love of good food, his kindness, his work ethic, and his commitment to his family. Although Luis’s warm smile will be greatly missed, his sense of humour will continue to bring laughter to those who knew him by the cheery memories he left behind.