Derric's Day at Thunderhill: Prostate Cancer Awareness

Derric des Marteau. Our friend, lost to prostate cancer at age 58. We remember him, honor him, and want to help prevent this from happening to others. The following message was read at Derric's memorial service:

To the Family and Friends of Derric Des Marteau,

It is with both sadness in his passing, and joy for having known Derric that we submit this remembrance of this special man. Our driving club, regrettably (but Derric would understand) is committed to manage an event at Laguna Seca on the day of the memorial, so our team will not be represented. We wanted to send this to you all in lieu of our presence at the service.

We knew Derric for too short of a time. He immediately became known and liked among our Hooked On Driving group, as he was enthusiastic, fun and inquisitive from day one. Once turned loose on the race track, he was like a kid in a candy store. Goodness, did he enjoy himself! And he immediately discovered a rookie’s favorite car tool – the vacuum cleaner, as we found him spun out in the dust enough times to suggest that we reign in his enthusiasm just a bit. To say that Derric enjoyed his time behind the wheel is an understatement. And, knowing his fate, he found driving as a true escape – a fully engaged distraction that left him exhilarated and with a new sense of accomplishment. And many of us are aware that at one point, his exhilaration got the best of him and he dodged a difficult moment as his beloved Porsche gave itself up for his safety.

We get to know many people in the “adrenaline-enhanced” race track environment. And lifetime experiences abound amongst our customers. But Derric was simply special. He was a gentleman to all he encountered – whether it was the kitchen staff or the owner of the company. He had a passion for learning and improving – and was committed to this at every turn. He was generous with his time, resources and words to all of us. Derric Des Marteau was one in a million. He’s been taken from all of us too soon, and he will be missed by our entire organization. While our hearts are broken over his loss, we can only imagine your grief in missing this wonderful man.
But please know this – Derric touched us all in a wonderful way – and he will NOT ever be forgotten. And we are proud to have shared some of the truly special moments of his later life.
We offer our sincere condolences to the entire family of Derric, and thank you for sharing this special man with our “family” for a short but wonderful time.

Kindest Regards,
David, Leigh and the HOD Team