January 27, 1931 – September 22, 2024

Born into an affluent & scholarly family, Vachalaveetil, to (late) Mr. Julius Theophilus (Headmaster, Malabar Christian High School) and (late) Mrs. Hilda Theophilus nee Daniel (first female in Malabar to hold BA in literature, a teacher & emancipator of women and children). He was the eldest brother to (late) Prasad, (late) Sudhinder Theophilus & Prema Santosh; he was much adored and loved by all in the family.

Daniel studied at the Malabar Christian college and went on to study at the College of Engineering, Guindy & Coimbatore Engineering College graduating in 1952 with a degree in Electrical Engineering at the age of 21. He began teaching immediately and also worked in the telecommunication department of Ahemedabad Radio. He then joined the M.B.M. Engineering College, Jodhpur as a Reader. In 1968 he came to Canada as a Commonwealth Scholar, choosing to study at the University of Waterloo where he did his masters & doctorate in Electrical Engineering – High Voltage specialization. He briefly worked with CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) in Brazil designing a high voltage laboratory at the University of Paraiba. It was a collaborative work with other countries.

On return, he taught at the University of Windsor for 2 years as a postdoctoral associate. In 1978, he joined the Ivan Curry School of Engineering at Acadia University in Nova Scotia as an associate professor until he was appointed the Dean of Engineering in 1983 until his early retirement in 1996. His research was continuous at the University of Waterloo and BC Hydro for decades with many students working on his project over the years reducing resistance in high voltage applications. He continued to teach and supervise Phd students at the University of British Columbia after retirement.

He fiercely championed the right of all women in the world to aspire to become engineers and succeed in life. He negotiated deals with several nations such as Iraq and Libya to bring student cohorts to his department.

In 1963 he married Shirin Peters and they were blessed with two daughters, Sherani & Shaleena whom he loved and cherished as two ‘gems’ in his life. Sherani’s two children, Nitasha & Devon were his pride & joy and he felt blessed to have them in his life.

Shirin was his love of his life for 61 precious and blessed years. They both lived and witnessed their deep faith & hope in Christ in their lives. He engaged whole heartedly in his Church community wherever he lived and worked, always dialoguing and encouraging others on their own journey of faith. In younger days he championed many sports like tennis, table tennis, field hockey, cricket & soccer. He was a voracious reader, crossword puzzle solver, bridge player against the computer, and he loved music and singing.

Daniel was a wonderful, loving, kind, humble, compassionate & brilliant husband, dad, granddad, uncle, and a true friend with a delicious sense of humour who made life so beautiful for all.

A memorial service will be held on November 9, 11:00am, at St. Anselm’s Anglican Church in Vancouver, BC. Livestream link here: youtube.com/@st.anselmschurchoffice1736

Donations in memory may be made to The Order of The White Rose scholarship from Polytechnique Montréal in tribute to the victims of the massacre of December 6, 1989, as well as the wounded, the families, the faculty members, the employees and the students who were forever affected by the tragedy