The word has been out for a while, but I wanted to respect the family's wishes so held off posting this until they were ready.
I'm incredibly sad to report that my friend Dr. Darren Markland passed away last weekend.
Darren had a towering presence here in Edmonton and across Alberta, and his loss is now being felt as a towering absence.
https://edmontonjournal.remembering.ca/obituary/darren-markland-1093111486
1/n
Darren and I weren't as close as others were, but I will never forget how his face lit up whenever I went over to chat with him at #CoffeeOutside and he would offer to make me a coffee from his ever-evolving #BaristaBike.
I remember how warm and friendly he was with everyone he met and everyone who talked with him.
Darren helped start #yegCoffeeOutside and to this day it is the centre of my social circle, and I owe him so much for that.
2/n
My absolute favourite memory of Darren is the day at #CoffeeOutside when a car unexpectedly drove into the park (there is no road through it...) and stopped near us.
We were quipping about the driver being lost, confused, stupid cars, etc. when suddenly Darren put his face in his hands, and started shaking his head.
"Oh no... that's my MOM!"
3/n
Please forgive the cliché, but I do take some solace in knowing that he died doing something he loved (mountain biking) in a place that he loved (Nordegg).
I would honestly be even more sad if it had been just about anything else.
But I am still so sad. I was always so chuffed to see him whenever I rolled in to #CoffeeOutside and he was there, and it breaks my heart to know that I won't get to see him there again.
Rest in peace, Doc. I love you, and I miss you my friend.
4/n
Tomorrow's #CoffeeOutside will be a special memorial for Dr. Markland.
If you knew him or even were just somehow touched by him as many were, please bring a coffee, tea, or other beverage of your choice, along with some stories and memories to celebrate the life of this incredible human.
Constable Ezio Faraone Park
Friday, September 26
Drop by anytime between 7am and 9am and stay as long or as little as you like.
5/5
@Daveography Thank you for sharing your memories. And that last photo (the mid-air mountain bike blep) is fantastic.
I remember thinking, when reading "Dr Dagly's" posts about mountain biking, that he was clearly a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but that it was probably a necessity given his work. That by ending his every workday/workweek with physical exertion & exhilaration, he was allowing his body to effectively process all the chemical stress build-up from having to stay calm & focused in intense situations, and thereby helping to protect himself from burnout and compassion fatigue.
But the exhilaration of pushing one's body to the limits comes with real risks, that even the most irrepressible spirit cannot always push past.
So sorry for the loss of your friend. May everyone he touched find some way to keep his joy & compassion alive.
@Daveography I love this poem (I assume from one of his more philosophical social media threads) that his family used in his official obituary:
The human heart is
The size of a
Fist
Clenched.
Indefatigable, and infallible
On pain of death.
And yet it skips
At the most curious
Times,
To remind us of its finite
Beats.
And perhaps to attend us
To use them both wisely
And with abandon.
https://edmontonjournal.remembering.ca/obituary/darren-markland-1093111486
That needs to be painted on some concrete bridge support next to a river valley bike trail.
Daveography 🇨🇦
Amelia Bellamy-Royds 
