David John Cunningham Waterbury
1921-2021
David J. C. Waterbury of Mahone Bay, formerly
of Kentville and Chester Basin, passed away on March 12, 2021, in the
Veteran’s Unit of Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital, Lunenburg. The
previous week, at least 40 family members, from BC to MA, joined him
virtually via Zoom to celebrate his 100th
birthday. Dad was born in Halifax on March 2, 1921, to John Gladstone
Waterbury and Hilda Cunningham. His mother died two weeks later, and
he spent his first four years in the care of his maternal
grandparents, Reverend Henry Ward and Mrs. Cunningham. Reverend
Cunningham was the rector of St. George’s Round Church in Halifax and
was aboard the Minia during the recovery of
bodies from the Titanic. In recognition of his
participation, he received a deck chair retrieved from the
Titanic, which Dad donated to the Museum of the
Atlantic years ago.
When his
father married Ella O’Donnell in 1925, Dad joined them in
Wolfville, where he grew up and attended school. Ella, known as ‘Gram’
by all, was a wonderful woman and the only mother he ever
knew.
Dad served
in the RCAF from June 1941 to August 1945. He was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross for anti-submarine warfare and his actions
saving his crew after being shot down in the North Atlantic. After the
war, he completed the undergraduate degree he had started at Acadia
University before enlisting. He took advantage of an entry program
offered to veterans at some universities and graduated from Dalhousie
Law School in 1949. He began his law practice in Kentville, where he
was a well-known and respected community member. He had married Mary
‘Ruth’ Pettigrew in 1944, and together they raised
five children. A founding partner of Waterbury Newton, he retired in
1982. He then served as Chairman of the Nova Scotia Criminal Injuries
Compensation Board, retiring in 1992.
Dad belonged
to too many organizations and received too many awards to mention them
all, from school and hospital boards to professional organizations and
service clubs. While a member of one of the latter, he served as Past
District Governor, Lions International. Dad was a 3rd Degree Craft
Lodge Mason and a 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Mason. He served as Past
Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia and, also, as Past Grand
Patron, Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star of NS and PEI.
Through these organizations, he and Ruth made widespread, life-long
friendships. He was also a friend of Bill W. for over 44 years. One
group of friends he missed the most since his hospitalization was the
Tuesday morning coffee group that met at Eli’s Expresso in
Mahone Bay.
A musician
at heart and music lover, he played the organ at home, the saxophone
in the Mahone Bay Legion band, and sang in the Trinity United Church
choir.
A modest
man, in his eyes, his many accomplishments and awards paled when
compared to those of his family. Though not a man prone to public
displays of affection, he took great interest and pride in the three
generations to which he was the patriarch. He never interfered in
their lives, but he was always there with advice if asked and help if
needed. His love of sailing was second only to his love of
family. He served terms as commodore of both the Nova Scotia Schooner
Association and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. He was at peace
with himself and the world when he was on the water, a trait he passed
on to his children.
He was a man
of contradictions. He never raised his voice in anger but pretty much
always got his way. He always had a project on the go that needed the
arrival of an unsuspecting family member(s) to help him finish it.
Patience was not one of his virtues, but he could spend hours playing
cards, doing puzzles, or reading. As he aged, he took stubbornness to
a whole new level. And then there was his life-long battle with golf,
which—despite the frustration it caused him—he
played into his 90s. We’re sure there were some days he returned home
with fewer clubs than he had when he left to
play.
He was
predeceased by his wife of nearly 65 years, Mary ‘Ruth’ Pettigrew, in
2009. That cloud did indeed have a silver lining in the person of
AnnieMae Backman, a friend to both Mom and Dad through Eastern Star.
They married in 2010 when Dad was 89. He and AnnieMae enjoyed almost
eleven years of deep love and companionship that lasted until his
life’s end. We are all so thankful for the love and joy she brought to
him and all of us. Also, for those she brought with her: her three
children, Michelle, Andrew, and Edward, and their families. Without
their love and her care, it is unlikely he would have reached his goal
of celebrating his 100th birthday.
Left to
mourn, but thankful to have been part of a life well-lived, are his
wife, AnnieMae and her family; his children Joy (Larry Honey), Jack
(Anne-Marie), and David (Jennifer), all of Kentville, Ron, Calgary,
and Judith (Mark) Forbes, Lower Sackville; 14 grandchildren; 21
great-grandchildren; and a large extended
family.
Cremation
has taken place under the direction of White Family Funeral Home,
Kentville. There will be no visitation. A celebration of his life by
immediate family only will be held at Trinity United Church, Mahone
Bay, on Thursday, March 18, 2021, followed by interment in Elm Grove
Cemetery, Steam Mill. Family flowers only. If so wished, donations in
his memory to Trinity United Church, Mahone Bay, NS, would be
welcomed. On-line condolences and inquiries may be directed to
www.whitefamilyfuneralhome.com.
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