15 April 1935 to 11 August 2014
David left this world in the early morning of August 11, 2014 at the age of 79 after a long struggle with cancer and dementia. He was predeceased by his brother Peter and his parents Lewis and Iris in the UK. He is survived by his son Lewis, stepsons Jacob and Mironel, daughters Deborah and Annalee, grandchildren Katherine, Tyler and Rebecca in Canada, and nieces and nephews in Northern Ireland, as well as many friends in Canada and England.
David was born in Plymouth, England in 1935 where he survived the Blitz of southern England during his childhood. He grew up in England, Malta, Scotland and Northern Ireland. He came to Canada in his 20’s to study economics and politics in Ottawa where he worked as an assistant to the leader of the federal NDP in the 1960s. He lived in Winnipeg and Vancouver before moving to Nanaimo in 1979. He was an adult educator, co-op organizer, community exchange trading systems pioneer, newspaper columnist and letter writer, local cable TV producer and interviewer, Global Village (NIDEA) director, Council of Canadians member, Green Party member since 1983, and Island Roots Market Co-op founding member.
In 1984 he went back to England to study Community Economics and International Development at Ruskin College in Oxford. He got a master’s degree in Sustainable Community Development from Oxford Brookes University in 1991, and became an instructor at SFU in 1992. He also did research in Cohousing. His interest in co-ops took him to China, Spain and Cuba. In Nanaimo, David organized many events focused on practical ways to help us be more sustainable. He was an ardent supporter of the E&N Railway. David helped to create and lived at the Pacific Gardens Cohousing community and was an enthusiastic member of the Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo, as well as a regular at the Nanaimo Folk Connection folk music society. He was a passionate social justice and environmental advocate. He was also a musician, poet, calligrapher, pilot, sailor, punster and inventor of games.
Family and friends would like to thank the Pacific Gardens Cohousing community for their loving care of David. Thank you, too, to all the wonderful caregivers at Dufferin Place for making David’s last days comfortable. A service to honour and remember David is at 2 pm, Sat. Sept. 6, 2014 at the Unitarian Hall, 595 Townsite Road, Nanaimo, followed by a finger food potluck reception. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made in David’s memory to the Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo, or the charity or political party of your choice.
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