James Ivan David, of Calgary Alberta, passed away peacefully Thursday July 4th, at the Foothills Hospital with his family by his side, after a very brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
Jim was born in Calgary on February 16th, 1942 and was a proud Calgarian. Jim spent a short amount of time as a toddler living in Sarnia ON with his mum and dad, and then a brief two-year stint for work in Flin Flon MB around the age of 20. Otherwise, Jim was born and resided in Calgary for the rest of his life.
Jim was predeceased by his loving parents Mamie and Dave-Ithel David. As well as his beloved fur babies: Fonzie, Buddy 1, Toby and Tucker.
Jim is survived by his wife Fran and fur baby Buddy 2 and their legendary car, the one-of-a-kind gold PT Cruiser with custom flames adorning the side panels. He is also survived by his son Dustin and daughter-in-law Julie; grandchildren: Andrew (Sarah) (great granddaughter Isabella), JT (Jenna) and Kailtlyn … his daughter Christy and son-in-law Larry and grandson Stephen. His daughter Cindy and son-in-law Shawn; grandchildren Mackenzie (Don) (great granddaughter Carmen) and Colby.
Jim is also survived by his younger sister Linda, brother-in-law Stan, nephew Don (Janice) and their children Dyson and Cade, as well as his niece Karen (Ed) and his dear cousin Anne from Wales, UK.
While attending Cresent Heights High School, Jim was a member of the wrestling team and played many school sports. As a boxer, Jim was also proud of his Golden Gloves title for Western Canada and the North West Region of the USA.
Upon retirement Jim was working in the human resources field as a personnel recruitment director, however he had a very storied and expansive resume through the years, testing his skills in a variety of job roles ranging from … working at mine, as a bouncer at various clubs in Calgary, managing bands in the 60s Calgary music scene, he proudly attended Mount Royal College as an adult to earn a diploma with honours in Social Work which he applied while working with youth in the Calgary Corrections System, working with those with special needs, as well as the Indigenous community … Jim eventually moved on to drive bus with Calgary transit for several years utilizing his skills as a councillor and people person striking up conversations with passengers. During contract negotiations Jim was an active CUPE union representative for his fellow transit drivers.
Outside of work life Jim’s passions were as eclectic as his career path. He was a lifelong music enthusiast with a particular fondness for guitar and especially loved Jazz, R&B and Classic Rock. He was drawn toward any well written music with meaningful lyrics. He loved and collected art and spent a lot of time sketching in his younger years, eventually developing a passion for oil painting and was very influenced by the work of his Uncle Illtyd in Wales who was a masterful self-taught artist. Jim loved to write and left behind a variety of hand written stories, poems and journal thoughts. Jim also loved ‘thinking games’. He was strategic, always angling, looking for the advantage. During the 1970’s you could find Jim in Riley Park playing chess against more than one opponent simultaneously, which was quite a sight to see. During the 1990’s and early 2000’s Jim re-found his love for pool, quickly becoming a ranked master player. Jim’s pool team represented the local BCA, and ACS Masters’ Division in Las Vegas for several consecutive years playing into his early 70’s.
Jim loved to spend time in Banff National Park and Kananaskis. He loved camping with his family at Lake Minnewanka where he could spend quiet time fishing from shore or his boat. He also loved Calgary in the summer and the festivities of the Calgary Stampede, taking the family to view nightly fireworks from Scotsman’s Hill.
Jim loved trips to Disneyland, Disney World and all things Disney!
In retirement Jim and Fran enjoyed fishing trips to the Shuswap with long-time friends Tom and Leslie and well as a memorable cruise to the Caribbean.
Jim and Fran accomplished their retirement goal taking their motorhome on an extended vacation across the USA to all the southern states, then travelling the Pacific coast back to Canada.
In his final two years due to poor health, Jim resided at Clifton House care facility and was very appreciative for his nurse Dee who always took extra time for him. His family would like to extend their gratitude for the doctors and nurses on Unit 46 at the Foothills who showed him so much empathy and kindness in his final week, it was very comforting to know he was in such good hands as he prepared for his next journey.
Jim was a man of deep faith. He was blessed with the time to have final meaningful moments with his loved ones. When his body was weak, his mind was strong and the love for those around him spoke volumes. As he departed, he was content and completely at peace.
A private family ceremony was held Sunday July 7 th, 2024 at the Country Hills Crematorium. His family would like to thank Oliver and Jenna and staff for their patience and kindness and for being the perfect fit to take care of Jim’s final arrangements.