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In Memoriam: Dr. Phil Balcaen
Dr. Philip Balcaen was a beloved member of our Faculty of Education who worked as a Faculty Associate and Faculty Coordinator in the late nineties and early 2000’s. Phil went on to UBCO School of Education and had a distinguished career till he retired in 2018 as an Associate Professor Emeritus. Phil passed away on March 1, 2024. I was fortunate to work with Phil while at SFU and became close friends with him and his partner Armelle.
I wrote this poem to give a glimpse into the wonder he shared with us over the years and read it at his celebration of life on April 6th.
Imprint of love
(for Phil)
You dear Phil have left an imprint
on our hearts, ink of love
pressed into our beings
It would take a book of poems
or several dissertations
to celebrate your life
How so many gifts, abilities, experiences
were woven into one human is astonishing
and that we travelled with you
on this journey is remarkable
Beloved, partner to Armelle,
father, uncle, sibling, grampa, friend
educator, mentor, scholar
colleague, collaborator, disrupter
of what is not authentic
inviting us to question what is possible
in the living curriculum
opening conversation with
a glint of mischief in your eye
all wrapped in threads of compassion
Whether teaching in India or in B.C.
walking side by side with a colleague or student,
or sitting on your deck with friends
you opened up curiosity
inviting fresh ways to see
From restoring houses to reimagining education
you remade our hearts to become more truly ourselves
by being witnessed in your presence
we see ourselves by being seen
You have left an absence
that will keep being filled by
your magnificent presence
you dared to live with courage
passion and compassion
humour and humanity
We return to the humus of our lives
and arrive in a garden
of possibility, by knowing you
Brokenhearted by the loss
but hopeful for what remains
an extraordinary life.
A love brighter than Okanagan sunlight.