David Dunn

David George Dunn

July 7, 1937 – May 25, 2023

David went to be with his Lord and Savior on 5/25/23. At the age of 85 years

 Left to mourn his passing are His beloved wife Karen of 61 years, two sons James (Lois), and Kevin (Elly), 7 grandchildren, 17  Great grandchildren and several others that he holds dear to his heart. His older brother Bill living in Alberta and his sister Dorothy.

He was predeceased by his father and mother Perry and Grace Dunn and his eldest daughter Janice Dunn.

A funeral will be held at The Church at Pine Ridge, 65152 PR207 on 5/31/23  at 11:00 am followed by interment at Sunnyside Cemetery, 64087 Heatherdale Road 25E, Oakbank, MB.

Tribute:

David's first love was the Lord Jesus, he loved to read the Bible and he always prayed that others would see Christ through his life. His last stop before he went down to Mexico for the winter was at the Canadian Bible Society so he could get a case of Spanish Bibles to give out to the locals that he met.

Dad always had a passion for Gimli Bible camp he was on the board for 28 years and I remember many spring cleanups that we went to getting ready for the next season of camp.

Grandpa always loved to brag about his grandchildren. I remember Stephanie was always following him around she loved him very much I guess that always happens with the youngest eh Kevin? The kids loved to pile on grandpa as he would give them rides around the living room on his hands and knees He was always telling me about something one of them had done in school or how independent they were. Andrew remembers when they used to come over and Grandpa would play his stereo with loud booming cannons of the 1812 Overture they sounded so real. Kathleen Rose shared how when she was born Grandpa had given Lois and a pink rose and the day he passed the first pink rose bloomed on her bush it was like dad was saying goodbye to her. He loved when the family came over for family dinners or birthday celebrations. And the annual New year's Eve grandkids sleepover. Grandpa made sure there was a roaring fire in the fireplace. Many of us have fond memories of having tea with dad around the kitchen table.

David has lived on the family farm in Springfield Manitoba all his life. He was a dirt farmer though and through he lived to plant and harvest the crops except barley that really made him itchy but Bill needed barley for the cattle so he begrudgingly planted it. He farmed with his brother until 1986 and with his oldest son James until 1996 after that he sold the equipment and retired.

I have many great memories farming with him; the annual hay harvest where we used to bale hay for DeGraff and several fields closer to home, when we would inevitably be baling around 2 in the afternoon on a Friday and Dad would pick up the bales with the stacker and just pull out into rush hour traffic on Lagimodiere With no fear! "They can drive around me". He would say I remember several times him driving that triple disk seeder and some impatient guy would get close to him as he's going over the floodway bridge and that last disk would all of a sudden swing over a bit giving them a good scare.

I also remember spray season where I would get mom and dad to stand out in the field with jugs on a string and we would mark tram lines in the field with my motorcycle, allowing me to spray the crops later into the evening when the wind was calmer. Dad always drove the pull-type combine, his seed was always the cleanest and he never seemed to get plugged. Bill or the hired hand would usually run the self-propelled combine and I did all the grain hauling until about 10 in the evening when I would relieve them and try to finish filling the trucks one more time until the dew made the grain too tough.

(Ya ya I know those green ones didn't have that problem but the chaff behind them sure greened up nicely a couple weeks later didn't it.)

(MELISSA) While sitting down reflecting on our lives with Grandpa, I thought how difficult it is to put down in words how amazing of a man Grandpa was.  Grandpa had a profound impact on those around him and if you were lucky enough to have had a relationship with him you can understand how difficult of a task it is to capture this in just a few paragraphs.

Grandpa knew how to "Grandpa" the best.  During harvest one grandkid got to ride with Grandpa in the combine and we would often fight for that coveted spot.  We would sometimes talk but often we sat silently listening to talk radio while going up and down the fields. I think that's where my love for talk radio originated from.

Grandpa taught us from a young age the value of hard work and helped develop our work ethic.  He wisely figured out the cost vs. time benefit of utilizing his grandkids to mow the lawn.  It was a great gig for us bringing in $20 for mowing the whole farm yard. 

While Grandpa worked hard he also played hard.  Often getting on his hands and knees allowing all of us grandkids to climb on his back as he pretended to be a horse, bucking away while 3 grandkids were clinging to his back, never tiring out.   He also loved to joke around and never missed an opportunity.  One of those times included when we took our annual trip to the Brandon Fair.  Grandpa, Grandma and my siblings would drive down in their compact Mazda car.  Grandpa thought a great way to ensure a smooth, scent free ride would be to convince us that if anyone misbehaved or tooted in the car that at a push of a button a blowtorch would move under our bums and blow us out of the vehicle. He would often motion he was about to push the button if one of us was becoming unruly.

I remember thinking how strong my grandpa was and how safe I felt in his presence.  You knew you could always count on Grandpa.  He was someone we could trust wholeheartedly.  He showed us what a true man, husband and father is and he loved everyone unconditionally. 

Grandpa's name, David, means "beloved" and boy does he live up to his name. He is beloved by many and will be dearly missed.

When he retired from farming he wasn't finished though, he spent his retirement years looking after his own beautiful yard and his dear friend Vern Dyck's yard he loved doing weeding and keeping that dirt black. His favourite plants were his geraniums, petunias and at least one hundred hosta.

 David and Karen got the travel bug in the 80's when they started driving down to Mexico in the winter first for 3-6 weeks at a time and then finally before the first snow and hopefully don't get back until the snow was gone. The Manitoba weatherman didn't like this and he would always schedule a final snowstorm on the day of their arrival home with few exceptions just to remind them to try again next year.

This led them to meeting friends from all over the world some of whom they have gone to visit and some that even convinced them to travel with them. Dad spoke of travelling with Ed Perdonic many falls as he anticipated driving down south "that Perdonic always takes so long at the gas stations and that dodge is so slow" should have bought a Ford. (Is Dave Gibson here). Also his good friends Gail and Dennis and Len and Leslie who went with them to Turkey and China as well and many others who took very good care of mom and dad while they were in Mexico the last few years. Many of the people they met down there have spoken very highly of Dad in emails we have received . Dad enjoyed his morning breakfast where he would spend time reading his Bible and sharing a coffee with anyone who would drop by and listen to a story or two, maybe talk about Salchi business. Because Dave and Karen had travelled to so many places in Mexico Dad's name was always mentioned if someone wanted info or directions as the go-to guy Dad would also go to the aeropuerto to pick someone up if they needed a ride. Wherever the Salchi people wanted to go on a tour Dad was the guide. Eat my dust if you dare and try to keep up. Dad was an avid rock picker he would tirelessly collect rocks and stuff for his neighbours well into his seventies many of the people he met spoke of his plants there and how the plants he had often had significance in that they would remind him of something or someone.

Dad also spent a fair amount of time at the cottage in Pelican Inlet in Manigotagan. Dad couldn't sit still; he would visit many of his neighbours and inevitably find a project to help with.

Kevin shared how one of his friends from Pelican Inlet and his dad had snuck into a neighbour's hot tub for a skinny dip. (how did that get in here) Adriaan. Apparently, they were always looking for some mischief to do

Mom always thought of Dad as her Superman he was so strong and there was nothing he couldn't do. He always showed off his physique. He would inspire people many years younger than him how healthy and strong he was.

Who remembers Dad in his short cut-offs or Speedo? ……..     There wasn't a time when he wouldn't be working on his tan gotta roll them up, don't want a farmer tan. If the weather was anywhere near warm enough he'd be in shorts.

 Besides all the big rocks and coral that he hauled up from the beach at Salchi. You may wonder why there aren't many rocks on our fields well I can tell you... Dad picked them all and hauled them down into our basement so we could have that big Fieldstone fireplace in the basement.

 This was the last year for them when their health finally got the best of them and grounded them, I am so grateful that Kevin and Elly went down to Mexico this year to help them finish their final stay and how Elly has spent the last month's taking care of dad's needs and driving mom back and forth to the hospital for daily visits. and now we are here. I would like to thank the staff at Selkirk General Hospital especially the man with the stick he gave Dad one more month on this earth.   

Interlake-Eastern regional health authority for Home Care services

Cancer Care HSC     

Numerous friends and family that came to visit at the hospital.  

Dad's desire was that if you knew him you would know how important a relationship with Jesus Christ was. This was the last prayer that he shared with Lois and I the last time we saw him. That all his children and grandchildren would seek and find the Lord. John 3:16 says For good so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. I love you Dad.

OVER AND OUT

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