Obituary of David Dalton Wilson

DAVID DALTON WILSON
June 7, 1923 – September 25, 2026
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of David (Davy) Wilson, who passed
away in his 104th year on September 25, 2026, after a brief stay at St. Joseph’s Health Centre,
Guelph. David was a beloved husband to Andrine for 50 years until she passed away in April of
2003. He was a dedicated father to three children, Stephen (Paula) of Salt Spring Island, BC;
Neil (Jeff) of Guelph; and Lesley (Guelph). He was proud grandfather to Gillian (Greg) and
great-grandfather to Olive (Guelph), and a wonderful uncle and great uncle to many nieces and
nephews.

Born in Dundee, Scotland, David had three siblings (Jessie, Lillian, and Allan) who have
predeceased him. 

After achieving his high school diploma at age 16, David entered a six-year apprenticeship as a
mechanical engineer at Galloway Fabrications in Dundee, where he learned sheet metal
fabrication and weld engineering.

After completing his apprenticeship, David, at the age of 22, was drafted into the British Army in
the latter part of 1945. After training to be a tank mechanic, he was posted to Hamburg,
Germany, to recondition battle equipment.  

Upon returning to Dundee, David courted Andrine Powrie and they married in 1952. Between
that time and 1961, they had three children.

When their youngest was only two years of age, David and Andrine made the monumental and
consequential decision to uproot and move across the ocean to Canada, where tradesmen were
in high demand. It was at this time that the Ontario government was introducing technical
studies into the education system. David and his two brothers-in-law, Tom and Peter, enrolled
and received their teaching certificates at York University in Toronto.

David’s first teaching assignment was in Timmins, where the family lived for two years. A new
job opportunity brought the family south to Walkerton in 1967, where Dad taught sheet metal
fabrication, welding, and basic electricity to all grades at Walkerton District Secondary School.

David taught high school for about 20 years before retiring. But retirement wasn’t an end for
Mum and Dad. They embarked on a decade of travelling the world, visiting places like Australia,
New Zealand, Tasmania, Hong Kong, Turkey, Norway, Germany, Italy, Austria, France, the
Netherlands, Russia, and, of course, Scotland. When they weren’t travelling, they were often
hosting friends and family who would visit from different parts of the world. 

Not having the 9 to 5 teaching grind to slow him down, David spent many hours doing the things
he loved: playing golf, tending his beautiful rose garden, and working on home renovation
projects, followed by naps in his backyard hammock. 

After more than 10 years of retirement, in a home they believed would be their last, tragedy
struck. In the year 2000, the town of Walkerton became world famous when an E.Coli outbreak
caused the death of seven people and illness in thousands. David and Andrine were not spared.
They both became very ill from drinking the contaminated water and their lives were upended in
many ways. A year later, they made the extremely difficult decision to leave the town they had called home for over three decades and move to Guelph, where both Neil and Lesley were living. 

The following year, in September 2002, David and Andrine celebrated their golden wedding
anniversary. Sadly, their new life in Guelph would come to a tragic end when Andrine passed
away from cancer in April of 2003. 

For the next few years, David slowly built a new life as a widower, expanding his social life to
include friends at the Village by the Arboretum community centre, where he played snooker,
entertained residents with his bagpipes, and jammed with fellow musicians, playing his
harmonica.

In 2006, after returning from what would be his final visit to Scotland, David became involved
with a widow named Maria Whipp. For both David and Maria, the much-needed companionship
that they found forged a new life. David and Maria lived together for nine years, during which
they would travel to Mexico, Cuba, and Florida, host family BBQ’s, and spend summers at
Maria’s cottage.

In 2015, David made the decision to move into a retirement residence at Guelph Lake
Commons. He maintained his friendship with Maria until she passed away in 2018. While at The
Commons, David became involved in many activities, including forming a performing duo known
as The Generation Gap with the activities director, Sarah Sharina, playing harmonica and
singing. They held concerts monthly for the residents. David was also an avid bagpipes player,
and performed at various ceremonies that included Remembrance Day and Robert Burns’
Night. David also became a certified exercise leader, completing a course offered by the VON, a
position he held for a number of years until he broke his hip and could no longer participate in
the way he wanted to.

During this time, a friendship emerged with another resident of The Commons, Nadia Martin,
who was David’s close and beloved companion until his death. David and Nadia enjoyed
listening to music and had many long talks on a variety of subjects. David even taught her to
play pool, which they loved to do together.

One thing is evident: David Wilson was a resilient, keen-spirited, and fun-loving man. If you
asked anyone to describe Davy in one word, they would probably choose “funny”. It was David’s
sense of humour and love of a joke that seemed to keep his light shining bright. He never let
anything get him down for too long. He managed to navigate through over 100 years of ups and
downs and keep his sense of humour. No small feat.
 
Dad lived a rich life, full of adventure and fun and accomplishments. He survived a childhood of
poverty. At the age of 41, he moved with his wife and three young children to a completely new
and unfamiliar land. He went back to school as a new immigrant. He supported his children in all
facets of our lives. No matter what we did or where we went, he always made a point of keeping
in touch and encouraging us in whatever we did. We have been so lucky to have been able to
call him Dad. He is simply irreplaceable.

When I have moved beyond you in the adventure of life,
gather in some pleasant place and there remember me with spoken words, old and new. 
Let a tear fall if you will, but let a smile come quickly.   - Arthur Compton

In memory of David Wilson, the family is suggesting donations to the Guelph General Hospital
or St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation.