Denis Adrien Herard

We celebrate and honour the remarkable life of Denis Herard, who passed away at the age of 79 years and is now with the Lord.  

Denis is the father of Dave (Lori) and Chris (Maureen), grandfather of Matthew, Kristina, Benjamin, and Madeleine, brother of Sylvia (Roland) Beaudoin, and uncle to his many nieces and nephews.  Denis is predeceased by his wife of over 50 years, Rose, and his parents.

Denis was committed to his work, his community, and was dedicated to his family.  He was driven by trying to make the world better for others and made many life-long friends. 

After a successful career in telecommunications, Denis was elected to the Alberta Legislature in 1993 through 2008, where he proudly served as MLA and as Minister of Advanced Education. During his time in politics, Denis sat on many committees and made many important contributions.  He was a champion for education, founding the Alberta Centennial Education Savings Plan Act which created RESPs for every newborn Albertan, he granted university status to multiple Alberta colleges to improve access to degrees for all.  He advocated funding of drug addiction recovery programs and family support programs.  He initiated the creation of the Alberta SuperNet connecting 429 rural and urban communities through fibre-optic cables (still used today), worked towards reforms to the WCB, and brought the 2009 World Skills Competition to Alberta to highlight the importance of the trades. He was a proud francophone, who historically addressed the legislature en français, and was also a huge supporter of arts education in Alberta. 

Outside of his impressive professional life, Denis loved playing golf and for many years after retirement played almost daily with his friends. He was always incredibly handy, fixing everything from cars to electronics, and spent many hours under the hood or in the garden. Denis loved listening to and performing music. He sang in the St. Gerard’s church choir, in the Calgary Opera chorus, and for many years sang in a barbershop quartet. He also enjoyed playing the organ and guitar.  

Denis loved traveling, photography, and meeting new people. He was a great dad, coaching, volunteering, and supporting whatever his sons wanted to do. 

Denis will be remembered as a kind, “roll up his sleeves” servant-leader, who always led with integrity, honesty, vision, empathy, and purpose.  He has instilled these qualities in his kids and was fiercely proud of them. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew him. 

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the medical team and healthcare workers at PLC over the past months, for their compassionate and competent care. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to any of his favourite charities, including the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre, the Calgary Foundation, the Calgary Stampede Foundation, Calgary Association for the Development of Music Education, and the Catholic Family Service Calgary.

Funeral mass will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Church (1307 14 St SW) on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. with Father Greg Coupal presiding.

“The beauty of a life well lived never dies, it continues to embrace and inspire us” - K. Davis

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