Geoffrey Lucas of London, England

Born: Nov. 22, 1969 in Alberta

Died: January 24, 2010 of sudden unexplained death with epilepsy (SUDE)

A babysitter tipped Derek and Donna Lucas off that their son Geoff might be gifted.

“She said he seemed to know so much about the world, and the heavens,” said Donna, who explained her son had been looking at a book of astronomy on the table and began to explain to the babysitter about planets, about the rings of Saturn. Geoff was two years old and how he knew this stuff, Donna could never figure out.

“I had to go to the library all the time, so I could keep up with him,” she said.

As he grew, it quickly became apparent, Geoff was not just gifted, he was brilliant, excelling at everything he tried whether it was sports, math, arts or music. In Grade 2, his teacher complained the boy was disruptive, precocious, largely because he constantly asked questions and would argue with the teacher if he felt the answer was incorrect. Donna recalls him coming home, doing the research and returning to class the next day armed with information to prove his point. While it might have been exasperating for his Canadian teachers, once the family moved to Ohio, following Derek’s job, the boy was quickly identified as exceptional and given special enrichment. Before he was 10, Geoff was awarded a scholarship to study art for a year at the Columbia College of Art & Design’s Saturday morning art program, an award given to kids up to Grade 12. As the largest and oldest art program in the U.S., one that has turned out many successful artists, being accepted would have been an immense honour. “He blossomed,” said Derek.

Despite his gift for art, Geoff’s life would take him in a very different direction, one suited to his considerable energies and keen mind.

Adopted at 10 months, Geoff was the middle child in a family of three. When Derek was transferred to Guelph, the family moved to Kitchener in the early 1970s, then lived in Ohio for a short time before coming to Waterloo where they stayed until Geoff completed high school. The family then moved to Vancouver and a whole new world opened for the teen. The ocean, the mountains, the pace of life, everything was so different and exciting.

“He took an extra year of high school,” said Derek. “He wanted to know how things were done.” Vancouver proved a pivotal point in Geoff’s life.

Though he wanted to join the Coast Guard and had a high score on the entrance exam, the government put a freeze on hiring and so Geoff chose economics, graduating with a degree in economics from the University of British Columbia. He later went on to attain a chartered account designation and he became a chartered financial analyst. His next goal was to complete a master’s degree, said his wife Sheri Lucas. Geoff loved to learn and everything came easily to him.

The couple met in Vancouver when he was taking lifeguarding courses at an aquatic centre where Sheri worked. They started dating in 1992 and married in Maui on Feb. 29, 1996, a leap year day. After 10 years of marriage, they decided to have children: Rory now nearly four years old and Ryleigh, born last September.

“Geoff was a very proud father and loved his kids … there wasn’t a day when we didn’t talk on the phone or text so that he could find out what the kids had been up to,” recalled Sheri.

In is professional life, Geoff started his career at Vancity, Canada’s largest credit union, then moved to PricewaterhouseCoopers in Vancouver. Less than three years ago, he transferred to the company’s U.K. office in London, taking his young family with him.

Sheri explained, “Geoff’s big passion was in the forestry area and sustainability so he decided to join a small boutique firm, Sustainable Development Capital LLP, where he worked until his death.”

Geoff had had only one seizure in his life, but he was only four and had a high fever. The second, fatal seizure happened as he slept, completely unexpected. Sheri is now struggling to cope with the loss of her husband, while raising two small children.

She said his many friends described Geoff as a man of high integrity and character, with a great sense of humour. Donna said her son was always helping his friends, encouraging them to pursue their goals, even loaning money when necessary. One friend wanted to become a police officer, and Geoff helped her study for the exams. Donna explained “he had a love of people but sometimes was intolerant.” Geoff had no patience for people who only talked about goals and dreams but took no action.

Sheri added that her husband was an avid volunteer and outdoorsman, involved in fraternities, canoe clubs, the Canadian Outrigger Canoe Association and the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation. “He was always putting everyone else’s needs before his own,” she said.

vhill@therecord.com