David Garry Devlin

David was born April 6, 1946 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Gertrude and Charlton Devlin.

David is lovingly remembered by his wife Valerie; stepchildren Hal (Robert) and Kira (Jean-Marc); his grandchildren Maurice and Isabelle; and his sister Dianne and her children David and Angela. David is also lovingly remembered by his grandchild by choice, Amanda.

Above all David loved sports. David played hockey until he was a teen then transitioned into speedskating for a winter sport. Summers were always full of baseball and David competed in several leagues as catcher for several years. In the late summer and fall David played football during high school and university. He played defense for the UofS Huskies for four years.

In addition to sports, when David was in high school, he belonged to the Writers’ Club. David also did a lot of public speaking and competed at a provincial level. He always excelled at school and did what he was told. As a teen he was a voracious reader. However, he seemed to give up that voracious reading when he started working.

Even though David excelled at school and his teachers had high expectations, sports always came first. David had a lot of long-standing friendships through his participation in group sports. He also had a passion for fishing which started with his Dad when David was very young. He always had a good sense of humour and coaches used to say they could count on David to keep the team morale high with his sense of dry humour and quick-wittedness. David was always very conservative and level-headed even as a young kid. People use to say he was an old man in kids clothing when he was young and of course older people and teachers loved him.

At the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon David began his studies in Pharmacy. After his second year, he changed to the College of Education because it fit into football practice which Pharmacy did not.

David came to Calgary to complete his education and was hired by the Calgary Board of Education. He started teaching and coaching at the junior high school level and then became a guidance counsellor, football and basketball coach at several high schools in Calgary.

David loved to travel and when he worked as a tour guide to Southern California during Easter and Christmas school holidays, he was able to introduce others to some of his favorite destinations. Disneyland was always a favourite for him. In retirement David’s love of travel continued. He enjoyed going to early rounds of March Madness and heading to Toronto for Blue Jays games. Holidays with family in Mexico and Hawaii and California were enjoyed by everyone.

David enjoyed music and had an extensive record collection. He really liked live music, especially in the early days of the Calgary Folk Club. Another favourite pastime of David’s was cooking. David created excellent meals that were absolutely delicious. He also enjoyed raising his tomato plants each year, producing tasty tomatoes.

A Celebration of David’s Life, “Remembering David”, will take place at Foster’s Garden Chapel, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. If friends so wish, tributes may be made to KidSport, The Kidney Foundation, or the charity of their choice.