I have fond memories of Datch as our science teacher in Abu for the one year (1957) he came up there to teach us.

Yes, it was I who nick-named him Datch instead of his previous moniker of Dasher.

I have memories of him dashing around on the soccer pitch. Datch always apologized when we ran into him, which we thought was funny, but not when he ran into us.

He was a good and effective teacher — fair and generous. He loved to throw the duster at a student who he felt was dreaming or not paying attention in his physics or chemistry class which were held in the then Lab building at the far end of the field at the end opposite the brothers’ bungalows i.e. near the ‘big’ dorm (now the kitchen). Luckily we would catch it and in intercepting it prevent it hitting a classmate in the head. On one occasion he did hit Norman Phillips in the head, bruising him quite badly. Aloysius was most apologetic. This cured Aloysius of his habit.

It was only on Datch’s visit to BC that I learned from him that he had vision in only one eye. As a boy he had lost the vision in one eye while playing ‘gillie dandu’. He had to leave Abu that year and go back to Bombay for a school year before returning to Abu.

On a more positive note, on our visit to India and the 40 year reunion of my classmates in Abu, we were delighted that Datch joined us. Much to my delight I noticed that he appeared to have aged very well displaying the energy of one much younger than him. Aloysius also looked much younger than his age with good skin tone. Yes, younger than most of us. ‘Good Genes’. On inquiry, Aloysius informed me that he exercised regularly, following an exercise routine from the Canadian Air Force, and he walked a lot. I also learned that he did not drink iced water, a habit I adopted and follow to this day. When we visited Bombay he invited us over to his home where we met his wife Hazel and his daughter, Deepika. Later, in Goa, he invited us to visit his family home there, where we were delighted to meet his father who was a spry 90 year old.

It was our delight to welcome him to Vancouver and Whistler and to share the joys, the beauty of the city, the mountains, the vistas and most importantly time together with Aloysius. We enjoyed watching our school friends playing in the snow on the top of Whistler mountain. Our dog, Shadow, really took a liking to Aloysius and both appeared to enjoy time together. Last week I learned that Datch was so enamoured with Shadow that he decided to get a dog and recently adopted two from a street litter. The two dogs are forlorn now that he has gone.

Aloysius and I had maintained irregular contact via email and phone for many years though this had diminished more recently. I had intended to call him as I had not received a response to an email that I had sent him.

Aloysius was proud of his daughter, Deepika’s successes and that of her son Raphael. Deepika had won a scholarship to Cambridge.

Please know that Aloysius' passing leaves a hole in our hearts that will take some time to absorb and heal.

Another link to our youth and time in Abu has been broken.

—Keith Fernandes (1958)

Datch used to forward those e-mails from sundry self-anointed health advisors: 6 signs of an impending stroke or heart attack. Eat this. Don't eat that. It's a sad irony that he met precisely the fate that he strenuously counselled us all to avoid.

I knew him most of all as a down to earth, common sense guy. He ran his own business in industrial hazardous gas detection and alarm systems, and it takes well rounded talent sets to make such ventures work. He combined that with a love of India, and an unceasing passion to improve the world. If he read about a new process implemented in the U.S., he wondered out loud if it could be applied to India. Or how the process might be tweaked to be more widely accessible to the world, and which Abuite could make it happen.

I first met him and his family in 1978, when we both visited for Concert/Sports Week. The Golden Jubilee was coming up the next year. He asked what we could do to celebrate it. He formed a small team, and wrote to major newspapers in India and abroad, announcing the Jubilee and inviting alums to visit — that’s how word was put out in the pre-internet era, and he knew a thing or two about marketing and publicity. Commemorative caps were made, and we printed “Hello, I’m …” cards. A lot of work, but this guy was just getting warmed up.

When the internet got going and we put together a first alumni web site, he made it take off. He compiled contact lists and untiringly publicized the site.

Act 3 was when he launched a formal alumni association. It was meant to be a template on which other regional associations might be modelled, but nobody else took the bait. After leading the Bombay headquarters for 20 years, he looked for someone else to take the reins. Again, nobody stepped up.

Because it’s hard and mostly thankless work. Datch was the Energizer bunny's role model. He put in effort that nobody else could match.

Everyone associated with SMS — Brothers, staff, students, parents — owe Datch a huge debt of gratitude for his contributions.

—Val Noronha (1973)