Janazah
Islamic Center of Morgantown-
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434 Harding Ave
Morgantown, WV 26505
1987
Derek
2020
Derek Richard Lathey
January 18, 1987 — November 14, 2020
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un
Derek Richard Lathey, age 33, from Morgantown, WV passed away on November 14 in Hollywood, Florida from an aggressive recurrence of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma from when he first had that disease when he was 17 that quickly metastasized to all areas of his body.
He was born January 18, 1987, in Charleston, WV, a son of Richard Dennis and Nancy Dee (Ranson) Lathey.
Derek was a member of the Ripley High School Class of 2005 where he served as class president, president of the student body, and an elected officer at Boy's State. He attended West Virginia Wesleyan College, Marshall University, and WVU Parkersburg and graduated in December 2011 with a degree in Business Administration. In April 2012, he was hired by United Bank where he quickly became a Branch Manager. In May 2015, Derek realized he wanted to pursue his pre-cancer dream of becoming a lawyer and decided to take a year off to prepare and get into Law School. In August 2016, Derek was accepted and attended WVU Law School graduating and completing his dream to become a lawyer in May 2019.
Derek had a life-long enjoyment of sports, but he especially loved to play and watch golf where Tiger Woods was his favorite player. He had a wonderful personality that commanded the room when he was in it and a smile that would light it up as well.
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife (by religious marriage) of 2 years, Huda Ashfaq, of Morgantown; his parents, Richard Dennis and Nancy Dee Lathey of Ripley; his two sisters, Ashli Lathey Samples (Brent) of Kenna, and Ambra Lathey Clark (Trevor) of Charlotte, NC; his grandmother, Delores Fisher Ranson of Ripley, and his mother and father-in-law, Humaira Ashfaq & Mohammad Ashfaq Malik. He also had a very special relationship with his first cousins Mandy Sansbury of Mt. Olive, NC, and Ryan Ranson of Ft. Lauderdale, FL who loved him like a brother as well as his uncle and aunt, Rich and Cindy Sansbury, who loved him like a son. He also had two nephews, Blake and Austin Samples; one niece, Kennedy Clark; a great aunt and uncle, John and Sue Boggess; an aunt and uncle, Mike and Cyndi Ranson; an aunt, Lyne Ranson; several cousins; and several close friends.An initial, more private, funeral service will be held on Tuesday, November 17 at 12:30 and arranged by the Fred L. Jenkins Funeral Home in Morgantown, WV. Derek's last wishes to his family were that they have a separate, upbeat service with a lot of laughter, so a memorial/celebration of Derek's life will take place sometime late spring at Fisher Memorial Church in Goldtown, WV once COVID-19 is under control. Please send any humorous or other stories about Derek along with your name and the relationship you had with Derek to [email protected]. These will not only be a comfort to the family, but we would like to read (or have those who submitted them to share/read) these stories at that memorial/celebration service.
Impact of Cancer on My Life
By: Derek Lathey
Over the past few years, I have wondered about how much cancer can change a life. Since entering college, I thought the past would remain hidden from view, and yet the scars still remain. People notice the scar on my neck and ask what happened to me. Others make fun of the way I have difficulty eating, as is understandable, considering that they didn't know that my jaw can only open up half as wide as it used to. Others wonder why sweat pours down the left side of my face when I eat as well. I am not ashamed to tell people that I had cancer, but at the same time, I don't want to use it as a handicap for gaining pity or friends. People see you in a new light. I've noticed, when they find out what a difficult struggle you've been through. Even though I keep my past experience relatively quiet, I do tell my closest friends. No matter how publicly or privately I remark about my past experience, one thing is certain: the experience of contracting cancer and surviving is one that I would never want to forget. Those darkest moments in my life led invariably to me enjoying even one more of the days that I used to call normal. But now my days cannot remain normal when compared to months of radiation and fear. My days now consist of family, friends, happiness, and life.
As in most cases, families come together during rough times. They depend on each other for love, reassurance, and comfort. When I had no idea about what my cancer was, my parents did so much research on my type of cancer that they seriously knew more about it than most oncologists did, and to know that people care about me that much has been one of the greatest catalysts in my life.
As for life itself, it is too short. That is why I want to leave you with this poem I wrote.
My life is filled with joy and laughter,
a mind that's filled with before and after.
What's left to do is good and plenty,
even when I'm over twenty.
Beyond the facade of soaring lights,
life's moments become our true delights.
As for me, it's a mystery, why thoughts alone can't set us free,
there's no, "I'll try," just do or die in the grave of ambiguity.
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