GUILDERLAND — Dr. Demian J. Singleton, an educational leader at the Guilderland schools, inspired both his colleagues and his children to reach beyond the expected.

He died of pancreatic cancer at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany on Monday, Oct. 18, 2021. He was 52.

“He’s touched every nook and cranny of this organization with his vision, his passion for learning, and his innovative ideas,” said Dr. Marie Wiles, superintendent of the Guilderland schools.

“He just pushed all of us, all of the time,” she went on, “out of our comfort zone to try new things, to do things better on behalf of kids.”

“Growing up, he was always someone that encouraged me to think outside the box, and to think really critically about the world around me,” said his daughter, Jessica Singleton. 

Her father cherished the “why? why? why?” questions she and her brother asked as children, said Ms. Singleton. As she grew older, she said, “We would talk and talk for hours about some of the big issues in the community, at the state level, and the national level.”

Ms. Singleton said that some of her favorite moments with her father were “just driving in the car together or sitting out in the back patio and listening to music — and talking about the world.”

“You can’t do this, you can’t do that,” were not part of her father’s lexicon, she said.

“My dad was probably the most justice-minded person I ever met in my entire life and was just so deeply empathetic to every student, to every person,” said Ms. Singleton.

Dr. Singleton started his career as a research scientist. As an educator, he told The Enterprise in 2008 when he was chosen to be the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Guilderland, the scientific process continued to shape his thinking.

“You’re looking for outcomes,” he said then. “You look at a project and ask, is it reflective of your initial thoughts and ideas?”

Born in Poughkeepsie, Dr. Singleton is the son of Jacquelyn (née Parker) and the late Robert Singleton.

“I come from a long line of educators,” Dr. Singleton said in 2008, explaining that his father taught English on the college level and his mother and sister were social workers.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse and worked his first job at Albany Medical Center as a biomedical research technician, studying the response of certain human cells to chemicals.

He simultaneously worked on and earned a master’s degree in science education from the University at Albany. He later had the honor of being in the first cohort of the educational leadership program at Russell Sage College where he earned his doctoral degree in educational leadership.

Twenty-five years ago, in 1996, he was hired to teach seventh-grade science at Guilderland’s Farnsworth Middle School. He told The Enterprise that he loved the “energetic, upbeat” atmosphere at the middle school. “Kids are curious and think at a higher level,” he said.

He taught until 2004, when he became the school’s math and science supervisor. “Science is not just disseminating knowledge to students,” he said. “It’s something they have to experience,” he went on, explaining Guilderland’s approach is to balance the state requirements with inquiry-based learning.

Dr. Singleton said he was proud of how science and math enrichment was offered at Farnsworth. “I’ve pushed to shift towards enrichment for all students, regardless of ability levels,” he said.

Dr. Singleton joined the district’s four-member leadership team a year before Dr. Wiles’s arrival at Guilderland. “When I started 11 years ago, the interim superintendent said he was surprised Guilderland was behind in technology” Dr. Wiles recalled this week, continuing, “We’re cutting-edge now.”

That push for the latest technology — not just the devices but the training of teachers — was “all driven by the energy of Demian,” she said.

“He was unstoppable,” said Dr. Wiles.

Another area where Dr. Singleton had a transformative effect on the Guilderland schools, she said, was with diversity, equity, and inclusion, now known as DEI. Years ago, Dr. Singleton started pushing to serve students with disabilities with their peers in co-taught classrooms.

“It was expensive and we had to win over a lot of people,” said Dr. Wiles. Now the approach is commonplace in Guilderland, and other schools look to Guilderland as a model, she said.

During that transformation, in 2015, Dr. Singleton wrote to the Enterprise editor, praising the newspaper’s “powerful portrayal of inclusion, writing, “We are looking forward to this journey and your words have helped immensely as we strive for understanding by all in our community.”

“He was the engine behind that; he was undeterred when people pushed back,” said Dr. Wiles of the inclusive approach to education. “He believed with all his heart it was the right thing to do … 

“In recent years, we’ve taken up inclusion with culture, religion, race, and economic status. It’s really started to take off with the DEI committee and the DEI director. Demian was the spark of inspiration.”

Dr. Wiles also praised his work ethic. “He worked all day, every day, long hours. He also worked evenings and weekends … He was a voracious, non-stop learner.”

Dr. Singleton kept on working despite being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. “He worked remotely, because of the pandemic, while in very, very intense treatment,” said Dr. Wiles. Over the last several months, Dr. Singleton continued to generate ideas and solve problems, she said. He would come in on weekends to complete work that had to be done at the office.

“He never complained although what he was going through I can only guess was horrific,” said Dr. Wiles.

The four district leaders meet twice weekly. Although they sometimes disagree, Dr. Wiles said, “We always land in a place where the question is: What is best for kids and how can we be good shepherds of resources?”

She concluded of Dr. Singleton, “He always, always came back to our students. He kept them front and center of all that he did.”

“I think he was a public servant at heart,” said his daughter. “He gave more than 25 years of his career to Guilderland.”

Ms. Singleton said of the last few months, “My dad worked till the very end; he worked as hard as he could. He recognized how important it was to keep going forward and it took a tremendous amount of strength to continue on …

“It was a difficult thing to watch but we’re so just endlessly proud of him and just love him so much for everything that he’s done, both pre- and post-diagnosis. It was his life’s work to give back to the community and I don’t think he ever let pancreatic cancer stop that.”

Describing her father’s personality, she concluded, “He comes across as someone patient, almost a little stoic, but then, once you get him talking about something, he’s got such a passion that he can exude … He definitely was a really strong man — and he had a softer side as well.”

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Dr. Demian J. Singleton is survived by Jennifer Singleton, to whom he was married for over two decades; by their children, Jessica Singleton and Andrew Singleton; by his mother, Jacquelyn; by his sister, Jennifer Brown and her husband, Edward; by his uncles, Jeffrey Parker, Jay Parker, and Richard Singleton; and by his aunt, Lois Balz as well as by several cousins and a niece.

Calling hours will be held Friday, Oct. 22, from 4 to 8 p.m. at New Comer Cremations & Funerals at 343 New Karner Road in Colonie.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 1500 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90366.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer