David was born in England during World War II, and spent his childhood in Croydon with his parents Leonard and Florence and sister Angela. The family moved to Victoria when he was 16, and Dave became a Canadian citizen in April 1969.
The family was very active in the North Douglas Pentecostal Church, and Dave married his wife Marilyn there in 1974. Dave went to Bible college and discovered the joys of studying and teaching. This was the beginning of degrees and teaching at Bible colleges in BC and Saskatchewan. His final degree was at the University of Saskatchewan with a Doctor of Philosophy, which allowed him to teach courses at what is now Horizon College in Saskatoon, where he eventually served as President.
Dave and Marilyn retired to Parksville, BC, in July 2010, but their retirement was shortlived as Dave took on the role of lead pastor at Oceanside Community Church, which greatly benefited from his leadership for five years. When Reverends Joseph and Hannah Dutko came in 2015, Dave and Marilyn continued to serve the church in many ways, providing continuity and pastoral care.
Dave loved not only teaching and pastoring but also spending time with his family-daughters Nicole Wilson of Victoria and Kristy and Mark Tomtene and children Lauren, Haley, and Nathan of Saskatoon. Dave and Marilyn flew back to Saskatoon for many lovely family visits.
This July, Kristy brought Lauren (5), Haley (3), and Nathan (1) out to BC to spend a month with their grandparents. They had a lovely time; Dave's beautiful garden was the site of many happy hours running through the sprinkler, picking flowers, and playing together.
Then on November 7, Dave passed away peacefully in Nanaimo Palliative Care, having suffered with acute leukemia. He was not in pain and spent his last day napping and sharing important words with his family. While he was sad to leave, he knew it was time to go to be with Jesus.
A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 2:00 pm at Oceanside Community Church, 1420 Alberni Hwy, Parksville, BC.
Visit www.oceansidecommunitychurch.ca for more info.