Derek Cherkas

     Derek was born and lived in Kamsack with his brother Ben and his parents Darryl and Margy. Derek and Ben lived in town but spent a lot of time at the Cherkas family farm, sharing good times with their Dad, grandparents, uncles and cousins. Derek was a gentle and sensitive soul. Although he didn't have an aggressive personality growing up, he loved sports and enjoyed playing hockey and football. Derek graduated from KCI in 2004. He had numerous career path ideas. He moved to Brandon right after graduation and lived with his mom until 2008.  Derek worked at Precision Toyota for a year in order to save money for school.  In 2005 - 2006, Derek attended Assiniboine Community College and took Power Engineering. His first job was at Simplot in Brandon. During these years Derek joined the Brandon Boxing Club. He had a passion for boxing, jiu-jitsu and UFC.  Derek was curious about the plumbing trade so he worked briefly at P&J Plumbing in Kamsack. Then he took a term job at the plant at Wyeth Organics in Brandon.  When he moved to Yorkton in 2008 he started working at LDM while it was in its' early stages.

      Derek then joined UA Local 179 and received his Journeyman Pipefitting certificate in October 2015, shortly before his diagnosis of brain cancer. While pursuing his trade, Derek met numerous people and made so many long-lasting friendships, male and female, of all ages. His natural good nature and genuine exuberance made it easy to meet people all over the province where he worked in many locations. He loved to hear everyone's unique life story and they, in turn, were inspired by Derek. 

In early 2014, while attending technical training in Saskatoon, Derek met the most amazing girl, Amber Radom, and in her found his true love. He also gained the love of Amber's family and they all became a second family to Derek.  Derek loved his family and he touched all of their hearts. He had a special and unique relationship with his grandparents and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

On November 30, 2015, Derek was diagnosed with Stage IV brain cancer, a glioblastoma. Although a devastating diagnosis, Derek was positive and immediately pursued natural and unconventional treatments.

Derek underwent a craniotomy to remove a large amount of the tumor and did undergo radiation and some chemotherapy in Regina. During this time, Amber was going to school but stood by Derek in every sense of the word. She was by his side as he underwent treatment and they never stopped seeking knowledge to beat this most aggressive type of cancer.   While attending DCA injections in Regina, Derek met wonderful people and again inspired them with his optimism and hope. Derek so badly wanted to cure his cancer, not only for himself, but so he could crusade for others. He wanted to blaze a trail to help others with brain cancer.  Derek has touched so many lives with his amazing strength and courage. He is an inspiration and will forever be in our hearts.  Our warrior made his mark on the world. 

We love you Derek. We will never stop missing you but now you can rest peacefully. 

Derek is loved and remembered by his mother, Margy, brother Ben and fiancee Amber, grandmother Donna Cherkas, the Radom family and numerous aunts and uncles and cousins. Derek was predeceased by his father Darryl, grandfathers John Cherkas and Mel Ralph and grandmother Agnes Ralph. 

On the day of ascension,

You rose to the sky

God needed a warrior,

You answered his cry 

With eyes of the ocean,

We all heard your roar

You're out of our sight,

But in our hearts forever more

You left us all with memories

In your own special way

We'll never forget your 11,617 days

To my son, my lover, my brother, my friend

Hakuna Matata,

We'll see you again. 

- Brett Hesterman

  Those who so desire to make a memorial donation in memory of Derek can do so to the Yorkton Palliative Care, 270 Bradbrooke Drive, Yorkton, SK., S3N 2K6 or Westman Dreams for Kids, 2 -37 11th Street, Brandon, MB., R7A 4J2.  To leave a note of condolence for the family or to view the video tribute please visit Wolkowski.ca 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Derek Cherkas, please visit our floral store.