Forever with a smile on his face, King gave staff members his full support and valuable guidance. | Courtesy of Hospitality Concordia
Many Concordians will remember King, who retired from the university in 2008 after 42 years of dedicated service.
He started in the mailroom in 1966 and soon became head shipper/receiver in Distribution Services. King then spent most of his career managing copy services, lockers and even mail services and typewriter repairs, outlasting a number of department name changes (copier operations, copier and mail services, and finally the Digital Store).
King's extensive customer service experience was a key factor in the success of the many units that he administered over the years. He could be found at the university at the crack of dawn every morning, preparing for the work day ahead.
Lisa Mahabir, administrator in Hospitality Concordia (known as Auxiliary Services at the time), was one of the many who worked closely with King. “As a manager, Del had a keen attention to detail and was a true problem-solver. He always gave staff members and colleagues his full support and valuable guidance and motivated with his abundant positivity — he was always generous with his encouragement. As a result, Del was able to create lasting friendships because of his fair and respectful management style and affable personality,” Lisa recalled.
“He was always doing things to help his staff on a personal level. He once brought a sick staff member a care package right to her door. And he negotiated my first car purchase for me!”
He was known throughout the university for being good-natured and for his amazing sense of humour, as well as being a great storyteller. Sandy Scribner, accounting coordinator for Campus Retail Stores, remembers, “No matter how busy we were, Del’s spirit gave us the energy and the motivation we needed to get through the day. And he always pitched in wherever he was needed, rolling up his sleeves and doing whatever was required to get the job done.”
He leaves to mourn his wife, Brenda, and his daughter, Kim. As per his wishes, no memorial service or funeral will be held.
Should you wish to commemorate King's passing, consider making a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society in his name.(Direct the card to Hospitality Concordia, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Suite GM-400. The staff will see that the cards are delivered to Del’s family.)