Hilda Rathnabai David

Hilda Rathnabai Swamidass was born on September 7, 1928, in Mandalay, Burma, to Esther and Murugaesan Ramaswamy Swamidass. The fourth child of the family, Hilda grew up with three sisters and two brothers.

In 1942 when Hilda was 13, the Swamidass family fled Burma from the Japanese invasion during WWII. Early in the journey her mother passed away, leaving her father widowed with 6 children. Hilda spent the next chapter of her life at a boarding school in Bangalore, India, first as a student and then as a teacher at Goodwill Girls High School. While her father never re-married, her eldest sister Violet (Samuel) Mathews would provide a home base for the Swamidass family to gather. It was to Violet’s home in 1954, that the workers first brought the gospel to the family.

Hilda made her choice to serve God in 1957 at the age of 29 and remained faithful to the very end. A few years later the workers in India chose Hilda as a bride for Kumar David, a young man who had asked the workers to find him a godly wife. After only a few well-chaperoned visits the young couple married on May 21, 1959.

After a ten-day honeymoon in the worker’s batch (with Ray Govern a brother worker from New Zealand) the young couple moved in with Kumar’s parents and 7 siblings in Anantapur, India. A few years later they settled in Hyderabad, India. During this time Hilda began teaching at Vidyaranya School, where she taught for many years. Some of her students sent flowers and messages for her 94th birthday, with fond memories decades later.

In 1985, Hilda and Kumar immigrated to Canada. After a few years in Cochrane, they settled in Airdrie, Alberta. Hilda had a Day Home, a safe and caring home for many young lives. For many years they were the only professing friends in Airdrie. In time, the first Sunday meeting in Airdrie was in the David home. They always had an open home for workers, family, and friends.

Hilda was a faithful and devoted wife until Kumar’s death in 2018. Hilda will be remembered for her interest in cooking and her love of the gospel. Her desire to hear the words of God was an anchor even in her last days. The last of her generation, Hilda leaves behind many nieces, nephews, and extended family.

A Funeral Service will be held at Foster’s Garden Chapel, 3220 – 4 Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta (across from Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 2:00 PM. Interment to follow at Queen’s Park Cemetery.