June 21, 2023
1944-2023 ~ Fred Renihan passed away peacefully on June 21, 2023 with his loving family at his side.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann (nee Miller), his daughter Kathleen, his son Sean (Katlyn, Scarlett, and Greyson), his brother Patrick (Joan), his sister Eithne, and his many nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank the staff at Melville Hospice Home for their care of Fred in his final days. A wake was held in his honour in late June.
Fred served as a teacher, principal, Dean of Education, Director of Education, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Assistant Deputy Minister of Education with the Government of Saskatchewan, and as Superintendent of Schools in Surrey, BC from 1995-2005.
In 2004, he received a distinguished service award for his leadership contributions to education in British Columbia.
Fred took delight in reciting poetry from memory, and brightened many a gathering with this talent. His ebullient and infectious laugh still rings in our ears and hearts. Fred's legacy as a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend will forever be treasured by those who knew and loved him.
To quote one of the poems he often recited:
To those who say to generations hence,
what will I be if but a distant memory, I respond:
"Though the mind fades, memories linger.
Though the body fails, the spirit prevails.
Though the scroll burns, the letters dance in the air."
-Rabbi Zev Schostak