Final Handoff for Dean Roy

[Rob Nabieszko]

It is with a very heavy heart that I must inform you all that our friend Dean Roy passed away last night, October 17 2021, at 6:45pm. He had been hospitalized for at least a week or so, but this is still a shock to us all.

Dean was our Toronto FIR Chief for what seemed like forever (though I guess it was only 2 or 3 years). Since joining Toronto in 2016, he became a fixture who was here almost every night giving his time to make this network better for everyone else. I can't think of too many people who gave more of themselves to this community. Not just through his controlling hours (which numbered almost 3000 hours in 5 years), but in training and inspiring his fellow controllers to do more and be the best controller they could be. He worked constantly behind the scenes as well, developing and expanding the FIR. More importantly, he was a friendly voice that made me feel like I came home every time I flew in Toronto.

Information regarding final arrangements will be forthcoming. He is survived by his wife Debra, who is happy to know he had the support of this community.

 

Dean, I am happy and grateful to have known you these years. Thank You for being my friend. You will be missed. Final Handoff accepted.

 

EDIT: Dean's Obituary is available, along with service details. His family has requested donations be made to the Dean Roy Scholarship which has been established at University of Windsor, his longtime employer.

https://windsorstar.remembering.ca/obituary/dean-roy-1083558957

Edited October 21, 2021 by Rob Nabieszko

[Matthew Cianfarani]

I will always remember Dean's generosity to all of us at the Toronto Real Ops event many years ago. A fixture in VATCAN's community. Blue Skies, Dean.

 

[Brendan McCurry]

Rest easy friend.  You will be greatly missed.

[Philip Dowling]

All

This is sad news indeed.  I was privileged enough to be able to call Dean a friend.  His generosity of his time and efforts for this hobby was exceptional.  He was my instructor for my familiarisation in Toronto and essentially brought be back into this hobby after a 10 yr break.

His efforts for his home FIR were tireless and the results were clear.  Toronto has been a hugely successful FIR in Dean's tenure and Josh now carries that flag forwards.

Also, not to forget, the hours Dean spent as a supervisor on the network, again, giving to the hobby he loved so dearly.  

To say this is a loss to VATCAN and VATSIM and to some of us personally is an understatement.

Blue Skies Dean

[Travis Chan]

Dean was an great man with a huge passion for everything aviation. He was crucial to so many successes we had in the Toronto FIR and this will be a huge loss for the FIR, VATCAN and the VATSIM community. Personally, he was my instructor, my first VATSIM friend and I'm really going to miss our late night conversations.

Edited October 18, 2021 by Travis Chan

[Josh Perry]

A great man, who truly did care for this hobby. Paved the way for so many people to enjoy what we all do. 

[Jordan Jolenaar]

Dean, you will be missed. Blues skies.

[Ben Stevenson]

Farewell Dean, your absence from Toronto, VATCAN and VATSIM as a whole will be felt by all.  I had the pleasure of working along side Dean as a controller, and as Chief Instructor for ZYZ.  Dean was a true friend and an inspiration to learn from.  There are not many people who match the level of passion he had for this hobby.  Seeing Dean on the scopes when flying into Toronto always brought two thoughts to my mind.  First, "Oh good, Dean's on!" And Second "Now don't screw this up..."  Blue Skies my friend, you are already missed.

Edited October 18, 2021 by Ben Stevenson

[Neil Singh]

I am only a pilot and I fly everywhere, so I don't get to know controllers as well as controllers get to know each other. But I still wanted to chime in to express my gratitude for people like Dean. As a real-world student pilot in the US trying to familiarize myself with Canadian airspace--because I have family in Toronto and hope to fly there one day--I would like Dean's loved ones to know that this is not *just* a hobby. People use vatsim for different purposes. Because I have used vatsim to fly in to Toronto Pearson, and also Billy Bishop nearby, I have become more comfortable with Toronto airspace for the day I finally do fly there. I have probably spoken to Dean as he helped guide me in according to Toronto standards while landing. I've definitely spoken to controllers who were trained and influenced by Dean to uphold such fantastic, realistic standards despite everyone doing this on a volunteer basis. Toronto is a really great place to practice communications if you are a pilot, thanks in part to Dean's major contributions. This has a real impact on real people, and real families. I'm very thankful to Dean's volunteer hours spent working on this hobby which we all know is even more than that for some of us. 

[Nathan Power]

Truly heartbreaking and shocking news to read this morning. The entirety of VATSIM, let alone this division, will be forever indebted to Dean for his lengthy list of contributions he had for this network. Rest easy, Dean. 

[Cody Newman]

I have not had the pleasure of controlling with Dean, but I have flown in his airspace countless times and have always enjoyed his service! 

Thanks so much to you sir;  Squawk 2000 and over to enroute! 

 

I suggest when the time is right we organize a division flight to/from Toronto in his honor! 

 

[Ben Stevenson]

18 minutes ago, Cody Newman said:

I suggest when the time is right we organize a division flight to/from Toronto in his honor! 

 

Thanks Cody.  This is actually already in the works, stay tuned to the forums and the Toronto FIR page for details.

Edited October 18, 2021 by Ben Stevenson

[Mark Wolpert]

Very sad news, rest in peace Dean. 

 

[Sean Chatland]

Rest easy Dean.....you will be missed.

[Zachary Collison]

Very sad news to hear. I had the pleasure of being a student under Dean and he was an amazing teacher. My condolences to his family and may he Rest In Peace.

[Jean-Francois Desrosiers]

Rest in peace my friend.

My thoughts are with Dean's wife, family and the ZYZ community. 

I wish you smooth skies, Dean. 

[Nathan Dean]

Rest in peace, Dean. Dean was the man who inspired me to become a part of FIR executive and start instructing here on VATCAN. Sending thoughts and prayers to his wife and family.

[Liesel Downes]

This is such a massive loss to our community and one that will be hard to process for some time. I only had the opportunity to be around Dean on Teamspeak a couple times but I remember him being nothing but pleasant and a significant face in Toronto and VATCAN as a whole. Rest easy, Dean. 

[Rob Nabieszko]

Bump.

Details about obituary and his family's request for donations to a scholarship in his honour added to original post.

[Tyler Wood]

I am absolutely stunned. He was controlling not that long ago - how did this happen?

 

Dean was some of the first control I ever got flying on vatsim. Very professional yet patient. That will forever stick in my memory. Seeing that name in a contact me was always reassuring, and the voice was similarly so - calm yet firm, it made you feel at home. Truly an inspiration to all of us.