His first memoir Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age won the 2018 Governor General’s prize for non-fiction and was shortlisted for many other prestigious prizes, as was its sequel, Peyakow: Reclaiming Cree Dignity. Darrel’s first novel, A Season in Chezgh’un was published in September 2023. McLeod has been a French immersion teacher, School Principal, Director of a curriculum center, Executive Director of Education and International Affairs at the Assembly of First Nations, and Chief Negotiator for the Government of Canada. Darrel was fluent in French, Spanish as well as English, and studied Cree. He lived near Sooke and wintered in Puerto Vallarta. He was also an accomplished jazz singer. See his obituary here.

1957–2024