David Patrick Whelan

It is with profound sorrow that we announce the death of our beloved husband and father, David Patrick Whelan, at the Halifax Infirmary after a brief illness. Dave is predeceased by his mother Annie (née Henigan) and his father David; his sisters, Mary and Sheila; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Charles and May; and Brenda the cat. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Christine; his daughters, Claire (Sandy) and Emma (Wayne); his grandson Theo; his sister Catherine; his sister-in-law Ann; and his cousins, nieces and nephews in the UK.

Dave was born during an air raid in Peckham, a district of Southeast London, England. He was raised Catholic, became an altar boy, and considered entering the priesthood; “but then, I discovered girls.” While working in telecoms for the British Post Office on a job at Red Star Insurance, he noticed a pretty and stylish young woman and asked her out. She would become the great love of his life. Dave married Christine Ballam on April 4, 1964. They soon welcomed Claire and, a few years later, Emma. To make a better life for his family, Dave drew on his clever mind and considerable moxie to become a self-employed contractor, gradually working his way into software engineering without the benefit of a university education. Still, London in the 1970s was a place of limited opportunity for a man from a working-class background and his daughters, so Dave and Chris emigrated in 1977 to Winnipeg, Canada. Adjusting to life in a new country was challenging for Mum and Dad and they remained profoundly English throughout their lives. They left behind a close-knit extended family whom they always missed terribly, but with whom they remained in regular contact and saw occasionally on trips across the pond.

In Winnipeg, Dave worked in software development and several management positions before shifting into technical writing as a self-employed contractor. He then secured a job at a small tech company in Kanata, Ontario. A few years later, Dave retired and he and Chris moved to Nova Scotia. They first settled in Lunenburg before buying a house a few doors down from their infant grandson. They spent eight very happy years overlooking Shad Bay and playing games with Theo before declining health prompted them to move to an apartment.

Dad was a deep and independent thinker and a formidable debater, with an iconoclastic bent and the logical and methodical mind of the programmer. Always learning, he had an abiding interest in IT, politics, news, and books of all kinds. He enjoyed a pint of Guinness, a drop of Jameson’s, his daily orange, and the scent of beeswax candles and carbolic soap. He was (almost) never known to turn down a cup of tea. He was a lifelong fan of football and, later in life, developed an interest in breadmaking and indoor gardening, with varying degrees of success. His comedic talents ranged from the dry to the slapstick to the absurd. He had a whimsical side, with an aptitude for spinning a yarn and coining a phrase; his many aphorisms will live on in his family. He was affable and polite, and people took to and respected him. He enjoyed seeing new places but preferred his own home over anywhere else. Above all, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, always standing ready to help with a wise word, a comforting cuddle, and a steadying arm for his two girls, his grandson, and his beloved wife.

Due to public health restrictions, the family has decided not to gather at this time. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of David may be made to the Salvation Army.

“Let it be said—not gone, just gone ahead.”