David received a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Salford University in 1968 and was awarded his PhD in Chemistry by McGill University in Montreal in 1972. He began a long career at Consolidated Bathurst, which became Twinpak and was acquired by Amcor in Australia. He retired from Amcor in 2000 and set up his own consulting company, and continued working for Amcor and UPM Kymmene of Finland for another nine years.

In his personal life, David was a keen soccer player and played semi-professionally in Montreal, where he was named Most Valuable Player in 1970.

David and Lily adopted three children and all three played soccer and were coached by dad, while mom, as coach’s wife, brought the oranges for half time. David’s other passion was golf and he was a member of the Burlington Golf and Country Club for 39 years, including two years as president from 2009, during which he introduced a little of his native Salford by adding Boddingtons Bitter to the drinks menu.

David was an inveterate punster and he and Lily had many pun battles, causing much eye-rolling among their friends. He became a talented cook and, like a chemist, timed his dishes to the second and served perfection. He was bighearted in the neighbourhood and would help neighbours by snow blowing their driveways and sidewalk. When Covid-19 struck, he immediately sent a message to his friends offering to shop and deliver for any who needed help.

For a number of years, David and Lily spent January, February and March in Bonita Springs, Florida, where he loved fishing the inland waterways in his 13-foot Boston Whaler. Master Bait and Tackle was the favourite store for bait shrimp and he seldom came back without a catch.

Family was everything to David, as was community. He was a great asset to any group with which he was involved and a loyal friend to many. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a funeral service was by invitation only. A celebration of life will be held as soon as it is safe to do so.