In Loving Memory
Desmond "Des" Toups
Desmond Joseph "Des" Toups, 61, of Vancouver, Washington, passed away on July 16, 2023, from injuries sustained in an auto accident precipitated by a heart attack. He will be deeply missed and remembered fondly for his warmth, intelligence, generosity, well formed opinions, awesome sense of humor, and unwavering loyalty to his family, friends and associates.
Des was the youngest son of the late Emile and Judith Toups. He grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, and remained close to his five siblings throughout his life. He was preceded in death by his elder stepbrother, Jeff Pimental. He is survived by two brothers, Jay and Drayton, two sisters, Patrice and Christina, as well as nine nieces and nephews, and fifteen grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
Des studied journalism at the University of Southern Mississippi until landing a copy editing job at The Sun Herald newspaper in 1984. He eventually worked at five more newspapers, including the Anchorage Daily News, the Seattle Times, Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph and the Albuquerque Journal, in writing and editing roles before moving to online publications with MSN Money in 2000. There Des quickly distinguished himself as a master of online content strategy, web traffic analysis and search engine optimization. He later served as managing editor for personal finance at MSN Money, as senior managing editor for QuinStreet, and most recently as lead editor at NerdWallet.
In every facet of his life, Des took time to respectfully share his thoughts and ideas with those he interacted with, always delivering constructive feedback and suggestions with warmth, encouragement and good humor. To many writers and editors he worked with, Des became a beloved mentor and friend. As one longtime journalist who came to work with him recently noted before his passing, “In decades of freelancing I have never worked with an editor who is as nice as he is, and so good. He is such a breath of fresh air.”
Des had a remarkable ability to listen and offer wise counsel to those who sought his advice. He stood steadfast by the side of those he loved and respected. His caring heart extended to everyone he met, and his kindness left an indelible mark on those fortunate enough to know him. He also had an uncanny knack for infusing humor into any situation. Not only was he funny, he had the ability to make the person or group of people he was with feel funny too. It was just one of the many ways he brought out the best in others. To talk with Des was to always feel heard and valued, both personally and professionally. His laugh was infectious, and his quick wit had the power to turn even trying circumstances into moments of levity. He had an inexhaustible desire and talent for making people happy, and his presence was a source of joy, comfort and fun.
Des read voraciously, finally collecting more books than he was willing to store and move. So he donated most of them and invested in a Kindle, which stored more than 3,000 e-books. He also had a lifelong passion for autocross car racing and was highly regarded on the national Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) circuit as reliably fast, skilled and “one helluva a nice guy.” Des was talented enough behind the wheel to compete regularly in the Solo National Championships, where he twice earned top 10 finish trophies. At home, he delighted in experimenting with international cooking and entertaining his friends.
His untimely departure leaves a void in the lives of those fortunate enough to have known him. As we grieve his loss, we are comforted by the knowledge that his spirit lives on in the memories of him we hold dear. Des's ability to find humor in even the darkest times will inspire us to always laugh more often. May he rest in eternal peace and continue to spread laughter and warmth in the world beyond.
An online celebration of Des’s life is planned for Sunday, May 5, 2024, with a Zoom call starting at 2 p.m. EST. To sign up for the Zoom celebration, please send a message to jay.toups@gmail.com.
In the meantime, we hope you’ll drink lots of water, check with a healthcare professional about possible signs of heart disease, laugh more often, be a little kinder than necessary, and consider sharing your memories of Des at the online celebration in May. Those who wish to make a donation in Des’s memory are encouraged to give generously to the American Heart Association.
Des was the youngest son of the late Emile and Judith Toups. He grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, and remained close to his five siblings throughout his life. He was preceded in death by his elder stepbrother, Jeff Pimental. He is survived by two brothers, Jay and Drayton, two sisters, Patrice and Christina, as well as nine nieces and nephews, and fifteen grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
Des studied journalism at the University of Southern Mississippi until landing a copy editing job at The Sun Herald newspaper in 1984. He eventually worked at five more newspapers, including the Anchorage Daily News, the Seattle Times, Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph and the Albuquerque Journal, in writing and editing roles before moving to online publications with MSN Money in 2000. There Des quickly distinguished himself as a master of online content strategy, web traffic analysis and search engine optimization. He later served as managing editor for personal finance at MSN Money, as senior managing editor for QuinStreet, and most recently as lead editor at NerdWallet.
In every facet of his life, Des took time to respectfully share his thoughts and ideas with those he interacted with, always delivering constructive feedback and suggestions with warmth, encouragement and good humor. To many writers and editors he worked with, Des became a beloved mentor and friend. As one longtime journalist who came to work with him recently noted before his passing, “In decades of freelancing I have never worked with an editor who is as nice as he is, and so good. He is such a breath of fresh air.”
Des had a remarkable ability to listen and offer wise counsel to those who sought his advice. He stood steadfast by the side of those he loved and respected. His caring heart extended to everyone he met, and his kindness left an indelible mark on those fortunate enough to know him. He also had an uncanny knack for infusing humor into any situation. Not only was he funny, he had the ability to make the person or group of people he was with feel funny too. It was just one of the many ways he brought out the best in others. To talk with Des was to always feel heard and valued, both personally and professionally. His laugh was infectious, and his quick wit had the power to turn even trying circumstances into moments of levity. He had an inexhaustible desire and talent for making people happy, and his presence was a source of joy, comfort and fun.
Des read voraciously, finally collecting more books than he was willing to store and move. So he donated most of them and invested in a Kindle, which stored more than 3,000 e-books. He also had a lifelong passion for autocross car racing and was highly regarded on the national Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) circuit as reliably fast, skilled and “one helluva a nice guy.” Des was talented enough behind the wheel to compete regularly in the Solo National Championships, where he twice earned top 10 finish trophies. At home, he delighted in experimenting with international cooking and entertaining his friends.
His untimely departure leaves a void in the lives of those fortunate enough to have known him. As we grieve his loss, we are comforted by the knowledge that his spirit lives on in the memories of him we hold dear. Des's ability to find humor in even the darkest times will inspire us to always laugh more often. May he rest in eternal peace and continue to spread laughter and warmth in the world beyond.
An online celebration of Des’s life is planned for Sunday, May 5, 2024, with a Zoom call starting at 2 p.m. EST. To sign up for the Zoom celebration, please send a message to jay.toups@gmail.com.
In the meantime, we hope you’ll drink lots of water, check with a healthcare professional about possible signs of heart disease, laugh more often, be a little kinder than necessary, and consider sharing your memories of Des at the online celebration in May. Those who wish to make a donation in Des’s memory are encouraged to give generously to the American Heart Association.
If you have a story to share about Des, we'd love to hear about it on the Zoom call on May 5. Or feel free to leave your thoughts here, where it will become part of the perpetual living memory of this remarkable man loved by so many.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who hasn't seen, I wrote a remembrance of him on Medium: https://medium.com/@cmacdc1/what-i-learned-about-literature-from-a-friend-who-just-died-de5e78a4170b
ReplyDeleteA beautiful piece, Chuck. So nice to learn about this part of his life. Such an interesting and good person. Karen Aho
DeleteThank you.
DeleteI worked with Des at the Anchorage Daily News. I was a Business reporter and My desk was close to the Copy Desk, where Des worked as the Business section copy editor. Lucky me. I can still hear Des’ easy laugh talking to someone as he was swinging by my desk; or when he and I sharied a joke. He was always smiling- a rarity in a newsroom. I adored Des. He was always upbeat and always the nicest person to work with when going over a story. Another rarity. He was an excellent editor and never belittled or denigrate a reporter for an error in a story. I hate that he’s gone. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. ❤️
ReplyDeleteThanks for your wonderful comment.
DeleteDesmond was so cool, so funny and so kind. He always made you feel as if you were the smartest person he knew. In Anchorage, he walked to work so I could take his truck, and he made me leave a note detailing what hike I planned "so we'll know where to find your remains after the grizzlies get you." He bought me a T-shirt saying SPUNKY LASS because I hiked all day despite a back injury. And he once took me on a gorgeous night tour of the Seattle area, finally sharing the horrendous secret tragedy of his life. I'd been looking for him for the past several years to no avail, so I was really crushed today to stumble upon Chuck McCutcheon's piece about Des and his books. I'm so sorry for all of you who loved him too. And of course, if you knew him, you loved him.
ReplyDelete