Donald 'David' Waterbury

Dr. Dave Waterbury, a loving husband, father and grandfather, peacefully passed away on his 86th birthday following a brief illness. He is survived by his wife of 58 years Betsy, his son Curtis, his daughter-in-law Amy, and his grandchildren Nate and Julia.

Born in Trochu and raised in Three Hills (both small towns in Alberta) to the parents of Harold and Margaret Waterbury, Dave spent his youth doing what all prairie Canadian kids do – playing hockey. In his teens he played for the high school team in Red Deer, but as soon as he was accepted to the University of Alberta and tried out for the hockey team, it became apparent he was surrounded by future NHL players. As the coach told him, “Dave, perhaps it would be better if you focused on your studies.” A proud member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Dave did focus on his studies and graduated with a degree in Dentistry, and soon thereafter moved to the west coast in search of fun in the sun.

In the mid-‘60s, after a short stint under the tutelage of a dentist in downtown Vancouver, he joined two other dentists in West Vancouver, opening their own office overlooking the water in Dundarave. He practiced dentistry at this location for his entire career while holding a variety of positions within the Vancouver & District Dental Society. It was at this time he met his loving wife Betsy at a friend’s wedding in Seattle. After three dates (!) he asked her to marry him. They remained happily married in the same West Vancouver home they purchased in 1969 until his passing.

Dave loved being a father. He relished spending time with his son Curtis, whether it was taking him trick-or-treating as a kid, teaching him how to fish, or being his biggest fan at youth soccer and baseball games. In his later years, Dave brought that same loving attitude to his grandchildren.

Dave lived a full and happy life. Socializing with friends at the drop of a hat, he was the life of many parties. He loved spending time on his boat fishing for salmon, playing doubles tennis, and skiing at Whistler or Mt. Baker. He cherished lively conversation and the people with whom he could banter. However, Dave also enjoyed his downtime. He could be found kicking back by himself listening to Frank Sinatra or Chet Baker, building model airplanes, or brushing up on WWII history. But he was best known for two things in West Vancouver – growing the biggest, tastiest tomatoes and driving around town in his classic 1957 Jaguar XK140; both of which he would tinker with endlessly. Dave and his wry sense of humour will be deeply missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.