Obituary of David James Wallace

WALLACE, David James

Passed away peacefully at his home on July 17, 2018 at the age of 83 in the arms of his family. He will be greatly missed by his wife of 49 years, Solange, and his sons Stephen (Camille) and John (Sarah). Proud grandfather of Kaiya, Quinn, Nyla and Owen. Beloved brother of Bobby (late Sally) and Elizabeth (Jim) McDowell and uncle to Carol, Darren and Arlene of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Cherished brother-in-law and uncle to the Bussières family in Quebec. Trusted friend to so many. 

David approached life with compassion, fairness, adventure and purpose.  He worked hard and played hard. He was so many things – skilled soccer player, talented musician, competitive runner, passionate school teacher, admired coach, advocate for the disadvantaged, avid traveller, dedicated community builder and devoted family man. He held a Canadian track record in his age class for 3000 meters, attended the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 as a proud member of the 42^nd Belfast Boy’s Brigade, coached community and high school soccer for 22 years, ran the Boston Marathon in 2 hours and 43 minutes at the age of 47, rode an ostrich bareback in South Africa in his 70^th year, and miraculously juggled a daytime teaching job while earning a full time University degree and raising two sons under the ages of four. 

In his early years, he lived in the rolling hills of Northern Ireland, exploring the countryside, playing soccer, mastering the bagpipes and surviving the Belfast Blitz of 1941 as warplanes dropped bombs from overhead, once creating a large crater that later became a local pond for children to play in.  In his early adult years he worked as an engineering designer, developing aircraft parts, guided missile equipment and marine vessels.

In 1963, at the age of 28, he crossed the Atlantic for the land of opportunity in Canada.  He worked in Quebec City where he met his wife Solange in 1965.  In just a few short years, he became fluent in French, and would later teach high school French, math, drafting and co-op for the York Region Board of Education.  He would shock his nascent pupils as he walked into the classroom on the first day of school with a thick Irish accent proclaiming HE was the French teacher.  He was a masterful woodworker and craftsman having renovated and re-renovated his home in Markham for 48 years.

In his post-retirement years, he spent the majority of his time volunteering tirelessly for organizations that helped promote the well-being of the underprivileged, disabled and homeless, most notably as Board President of Water Street Non-Profit Homes Inc.  He followed Toronto FC passionately, although he seemed to get more frustration than enjoyment from watching them play! He explored the world with Solange to places such as Botswana, Zimbabwe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean and riverboat cruises in central Europe. 

As he once told a friend “If you think about the end of the race, it will go badly for you or you may not finish at all.  What you need to focus on is the mile that you are running now”. This is how he lived his life.

Family and friends will be received at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 143 Main Street North, Markham on Tuesday, July 24 from 10 – 11 a.m. for visitation followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to the Markham Inter-Church Committee for Affordable Housing.