May 2, 1924 – April 24, 2017
David Holmes-Smith passed away peacefully with family at his side on April 24, 2017, at the age of 92. He is survived by his sons, Rupert (Janice) and Nick (Ali), and daughter Susan (Greg). David is also survived by his 7 grandchildren; Ryan, Danika, Sean, Jacklyn, Devin, Carmen, Tosca, and Collette, as well as his great granddaughter, Sophie. David is predeceased by his loving wife Rosemary who passed away 7 years ago.
David was the eldest of 5 children. He grew up in England, graduated from Oxford, flew with the RAF as a navigator in the latter part of WWII, and worked in East Africa before meeting the love of his life, Rosemary, in 1954. They immigrated to Canada in 1956 and moved to Oliver in 1960 where he took up a teaching position at SOSS. David and Rosemary were significant contributors to the community in Oliver for the better part of 3 decades; however, David is best known as a teacher. He had an innate ability to inspire young people to excel and succeed at things they never felt they were capable of; and it didn’t matter if they were academically inclined or were simply looking to survive school. Similarly, he was cherished by colleagues and friends for his wise council and support.
David retired in 1980 and spent many happy years travelling the world with Rosemary. During that time he began to write about the world, politics, and the people he encountered. His writings were insightful, entertaining, and continue to be relevant today.
David and Rosemary moved to Sechelt in the late 1990’s where they continued to be active in the community, starting and running “The Clean Air Society” for over a decade. David returned home to Oliver 2 years ago.
The family wishes to thank the staff at McKinney Place for their endless kindness and support for David.
Former colleagues, friends and students are welcome to join the family in a celebration of David’s life which will be held at the Frank Venables Atrium on Friday, June 2nd at 2:00 pm.
Condolences may be directed to the family by visiting
www.nunes-pottinger.com