David Lloyd Adlington passed away Monday December 5th, 2022 at the age of 103. Dave spent the last two months of his life at Parkwood Veteran’s Institute. The entire staff of this facility is made up of angels who provided extraordinarily compassionate care for which the family is ever grateful.
“Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. “
Dave loved that Dylan Thomas quote and fought the good fight until the end. An extraordinary life lived fully and proudly, surviving many heartaches, but experiencing great joy and happiness as well.
Dave was born in Newport, Wales in 1919. He, along with his mother and four of his siblings emigrated to Canada in 1930. There they rejoined their father William and brother Norman who had come over a year earlier. They stayed with family in Iona Station for a short time before moving to Wallacetown. As most did, they experienced the wrath of the depression, providing many hard life lessons he never forgot. In 1939 Dave enlisted in the RCR at Wolseley Barracks in London and began training for service in WWII. On Christmas Day 1939 they departed Halifax, NS and on New Years Day landed in Scotland for what would become 5 years of active service.
He survived having his troop ship, The City of Venice, being torpedoed July 4th 1943 in the Mediterranean Sea. After being rescued and refitted, the regiment eventually made its way to Sicily to prep for the invasion of Italy. It was during this time that he and the regiment faced their most fierce fighting, culminating in the Battle of Ortona, which they took around Christmas 1943. Dave was fortunate to be asked to return to Ortona in 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of this conflict. He was proud to have been part of such an important remembrance, as many of his friends never made the trip home.
After the war Dave met, fell in love with, and married, Mary Shervill, and had two children, Dennis and Rosemary. Unfortunately, Mary died of cancer and Dave was devastated. He was a widower with two small children and trying to build a business. Eventually he met his second wife Shirley (Steve) Stevenson, and they married in 1958, adding Greg and Tim to the family. Shirley passed away in 2013 in her 93rd year. Dave was blessed to have shared his life with two wonderful women.
Soon after he and Mary were married, Dave started the Bell Noll Bakery. After some initial struggles, the bakery turned a corner and ended up with 11 stores before being sold in 1959. Dave then decided to open a billiard lounge in Westown Plaza. The Cue & Cushion was born and “The Cue” became a place for those who enjoyed the game of snooker. As the billiard lounge began to flourish, Dave’s son Dennis got him interested in standardbred racehorses, and Dave soon caught the bug. Cue & Cushion Stables was born. After selling the billiard lounge, the stables were renamed Adlington Stables and then a move to the farm on Highbury Ave. For Dave, the horse business was exciting. He loved the thrill of racing, and the business produced some outstanding racehorses. After many years in the business, Dave decided to hang it up and retire, selling the farm and moving back to London.
After a few years in an apartment, Dave realized he hated elevators and missed green grass, so in January of 1996 he and Shirley moved to Ilderton, where he remained until moving into Parkwood in October of 2022. Vintage Green was a wonderful last post as there were many new friendships made over the years.
Those who knew Dave also knew his passion for golf. He was the oldest living member of Sunningdale, and even made it out on the course this past summer. The last official round he played, in 2021, he made a birdie on his final hole! What a way to finish. Dave took up the game relatively late at 37 but turned into a pretty good player, ultimately making 4 holes in one, and as he got older, shooting his age or better multiple times. He even made it into the London Free Press after shooting 76 at the age of 86!
Aside from golf, Dave was an expert bridge player, and he enjoyed many years of great fun with friends. He always reminded people that it was Shirley who introduced him to the game, as she was a fine player as well. He enjoyed playing into his 103rd year, and we are thankful for his many friends who would allow him home field advantage as travel became more difficult.
Dave was the last surviving member of his family, having been preceded in death by his mother Rose, father William, brothers William, Fred, Percy, Norman, Raymond, Alan, and sisters Alice, Polly, Jean, and Rose.
While we are sad, this was truly a life well lived. Dave endured great hardship in his youth, then saw great success in business, endured family tragedy, and ultimately enjoyed wonderful “golden years” with Shirley, his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He taught us how to live with decency and dignity, that doing the right thing was the right thing, and how being a good person was actually pretty easy. As his light began to fade, he would often reflect on how fortunate he was and grateful for the family he shared and the friends he had.
He is survived by his children Dennis (Carol), Rosemary (John) Townshend, Greg (Jackie), and Tim (Johanne Marshall), (Donna Flowers), grandchildren Ryan, Heather, Katie, Matthew, Jordan, Alex, Connor, Kelly, Marilyn and Marshall. Also survived by great grandchildren, Griffin, Landry, Memphis, Sebastian, Marin, Charlotte, Miles, and Macey.
We are grateful to have had Dave in our lives, we are better people for it.
There will be no service. A celebration of Dave’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Parkwood Institute, a Veteran’s organization or charity of your choice.
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