Longtime Eastview Secondary School teacher Peter Lougheed died Nov. 29, but the memories his colleagues and students have of him are not going away anytime soon.
Lougheed's family posted an obituary Dec. 7 saying that his passing in Orillia was "sudden."
He was 72.
People who knew Lougheed at the Barrie school are in mourning after hearing the news.
Carey Draper, who still teaches at Eastview, remembers starting her career the Grove Street school on the same day that Lougheed joined the Wildcats staff.
“Peter had come from the Toronto school district and already had about 15 years experience, but we joined Eastview together and it was hard not to admire him right away,” Draper told BarrieToday.
Draper and Lougheed taught together for two decades at Eastview and were in the science department together for much of that time, but she said he would also teach math and, later, guidance.
“Truthfully, he was like the guidance counsellor anyway for students and staff, for that matter," she said. "Peter had a special way with people; he listened. Like, really listened. He made you and your issues feel important.”
Draper recalls walking by his classroom several times over the course of their careers and seeing his students fully engaged in what he was saying.
“It was an awesome sight to see teens really taking in every word. To be honest, and this is not a bad thing, but most times it wouldn’t even be about science or math, it would be life,” she said. “He would be talking to them about things that mattered to them at that moment. He taught well and kids learned, but his life lessons were so great.”
According to Draper, there were many times Lougheed would take his spare time to wander through the halls, talking to students and giving them “a conversation that had a moral to it.”
David Bradbury was one of Lougheed's students at Eastview and a graduate of the class of 1997. Bradbury fondly recalled Lougheed’s sincerity and “how honestly he presented himself to the world.”
“I won’t say he took me under his wing, because that sounds limiting. He didn’t want anyone to do anything but fly. Pete saw something in me that I was too young to recognize at the time,” Bradbury said. “When I was a student, he helped expand what I thought the possibilities could be for the future. He helped me believe there was more, and he was right.
"That insight is what made him an incredible educator and mentor," Bradbury added. "I’ve tried to pass that on to everyone I know.”
Ryan Cardwell, who went to Eastview from 1995 to 2000, said Lougheed was not just good at his job, but also a good person.
“He made class — or at least being there — fun. He was an extremely pleasant man who cared about his students and he would stop and chat with you in the hall about whatever you wanted,” Cardwell said. “What are you up to this weekend or tonight, he cared.
"He was the kind of teacher I want my kids to have," Cardwell added.
Lougheed would keep in touch with many students years after they graduated and he had retired.
Draper was amazed at the closeness Lougheed maintained with students who respected him so deeply.
“After he retired, he would come visit us often. He would bring treats and show pictures of being at a former student's wedding, getting baby announcements and Christmas cards,” she said. “The kids grew up and remembered him so fondly they let him know all the big moments of their life.”
Lougheed's three kids, now grown, were also students at Eastview. His family members could not be reached for comment.
Draper fought back tears to say that while Lougheed famously loved the family camp at Chapleau, it paled in comparison to how he felt about his children.
“They were his world,” Draper said with a pause. “He would always get pictures out to show what they were up to. He was immensely proud of them.
“He was a great father and loved his family, but as far as his teaching career, he has left a great void here," she added. "I can’t imagine he’ll ever be forgotten by those who knew him.”
Lougheed's passion for teaching was highlighted in his obituary.
"Peter was passionate about his role as an educator, teaching elementary and high school students in the Greater Toronto Area and Simcoe County, including 20 years at Eastview Secondary School," it says. "His love for teaching extended beyond the four walls of the classroom, whether it was on the white water of the Madawaska River, or on the ski trails in Horseshoe Valley.
"He had a deep love for the Ontario north, and was happiest after a paddle and a sauna by the lake at the family camp in Chapleau," the obituary adds. "He enjoyed sharing stories of time spent there with family and lifelong friends."
Donations in Lougheed's memory can be made to the ‘Eat Well to Excel’ Simcoe County nutrition program for school-aged children by clicking here.
