David Lister Myles
1938-2019
David Lister Myles died at Hospice House in Fredericton,
N.B., August 22, 2019. He was born January 16, 1938, in Fredericton,
the son of the late Audrey Alberta Lister and Wesley Morris Myles. His
grandparents were Frank Stratton Lister, Charlotte Alberta DeLong,
Robert Long Myles and Alva Jane Wilbur.
He is survived by his wife Diane Taylor Myles, daughter Jane
Elizabeth (Peter Moreton), grandson Jacob Taylor Myles Moreton; sister
Jane Rogers (David); brother John Myles (Dianna); sister-in-law Carmel
Myles, as well as numerous nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by
sisters Frances Myles and Charlotte Duncan (Jim), and brothers Ross
Myles, Robert (Bob) Myles (Glenna) and Jim Myles.
At a young age he began delivering The Telegraph Journal and
took on more responsible roles over the next decade. He often referred
to this as the best education he ever received as the paper route
enabled him to remember every building in the downtown and who lived
there. It established his pattern of making friends with everyone he
met. He was a kid who loved books, technology and tinkering with
things. By high school, those interests led him to become an Amateur
Radio Operator (VEIJQ), fluent in Morse Code.
David had a lifelong passion for learning. As one of eight
children, he had to self fund his education. While attending
University of New Brunswick, he worked for Canadian National Railways
and as the custodian at a local business. He was a “spotter”
during aerial spraying for Forest Protection Ltd. and he collected
sample plot data for the Federal Department of Energy, Mines and
Resources. He was employed by a local land surveyor and was involved
with timber cruising, regeneration surveys and related forestry work
for the Department of Lands and Mines. Following graduation, he taught
history and science briefly in Lower Southampton and Fredericton High
Schools.
In the mid 1960s, he became a site supervisor during
construction of the St. Anne Nackawic Pulp Mill. He was an explosives
and demolition expert specializing in construction. Eventually his
teaching inclination returned and he developed the curriculum and
taught the explosives course for the Provincial Department of
Labour.
David loved the local history of buildings and furnishings.
He was a frequent patron of a variety of archives. During the
development of Kings Landing, he was responsible for research and
acquiring buildings and material history. He provided technical
assistance, advice and supervision for restoration and maintenance of
provincially-owned buildings, including the Legislative Assembly,
Legislative Library and Old Government House. He worked diligently to
repatriate culturally relevant material significant to New Brunswick.
He was an expert examiner in the province for the Government of Canada
under the terms of the Cultural Property Export and Import Act.
Ultimately he served on the Kings Landing Board of Directors for 15
years and was made an honourary life member.
He was always interested in toponymy (place names) and served
as the provincial representative on the Canadian Permanent Committee
on Geographical Names; a member of a committee studying the production
and content of Canadian Gazeteers, and a member of the Provincial
Comité de terminologie, Official Languages Branch of
Cabinet Secretariat. The purpose of this work was to ensure the
accuracy and appropriateness of place names for
cartography.
In 1990 David was asked to establish the NB Power Electricity
Museum. It opened in 1991 on Canada Day and was later honoured by the
American Association of State and Local History. The museum was a way
for David to excite people about history through storytelling and
exhibits. He and Judith House co-authored Seventy Years of Service,
the story of how the New Brunswick Electric Power Commission delivered
electricity to New Brunswick. He received the Governor General’s
Commemorative Medal to mark the 125th Anniversary of Confederation
awarded to Canadians who have made a significant contribution to their
fellow citizens, community and Canada.
Typical of his diverse interests and energy, David took on a
new career at NB Power combining his surveying expertise and love of
technology. He joined a team of government, academic and industry
organizations leading the development of geographic information
systems technology. His background in history made him the go-to
person for geographic queries from both staff and customers. He
willingly shared information to educate young and old. David recently
retired from NB Power as a Geographic Information Systems
Specialist.
Throughout his life, David maintained a child-like
exuberance, passion and wonder for exploring and discovering places
and information new to him. When he discovered birding in 1985, he
eagerly travelled throughout New Brunswick and Maine to observe
species that he had never before encountered, forging many new
friendships, and entertaining and delighting fellow birders along the
way. When his quests were successful, his eyes would sparkle and he
would gleefully laugh and rub his hands together. Within a few years,
he achieved the milestone of having seen more than 300 bird species in
the province. David was especially fascinated by owls and would never
pass up an opportunity to search for Great Gray Owls, a species rarely
seen in our part of the world. He eagerly participated in the
Mactaquac Christmas Bird Count every year from 1985 through 2019, and
was the compiler for this count for many years. His most noteworthy
discovery on this count was an immature female Blue Grosbeak, a
species that rarely ends up in New Brunswick in the spring when it
overshoots its northward migration but overwinters in Mexico and
Central America. He also often participated in the Fredericton, Jemseg
and Stanley Christmas Bird Counts, and the New Brunswick Owl
Survey.
In a downtown bar in Fredericton after a Guinness, David once
told a friend how he looked at life: “Either you can sit at home
and watch things on TV, or you can get out of doors and do
things.” It seems that David’s life was a testimonial to the
latter.
David had an abiding compassion for and admiration of
Aboriginal peoples and under the tutelage of Dr. George Frederick
Clarke of Woodstock, he began to research their material history
through the collection of archaeological artifacts. He maintained
long-standing relationships with the family and was instrumental in
seeing that the George Frederick Clarke Artifact Collection came to
the Department of Anthropology at the University of New Brunswick for
study and education. It was a great honour to David to learn that in
2016, Mary Bernard, granddaughter of Dr. Clarke, dedicated the fourth
edition of her grandfather’s archaeology book, Someone
Before Us, to David Myles.
David was very kind, warm and generous, always willing to
help others who asked for or needed his help. He was fun loving and
well known for his wicked sense of humour. He was a superb teller of
stories and anecdotes, whether fabricated or real. He made thousands
of friends over his lifetime, a true representation of his curiosity
and social nature. He loved meeting people of all ages and
backgrounds, always looking for new ideas and connections through
people.
David’s family would like to express appreciation to the
Upper Kingsclear Fire Department, Ambulance New Brunswick, staff of
the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital, and Hospice House. For
those who wish, donations may be made to the Nature Trust of New
Brunswick, 649 Queen Street, 2nd Floor, Fredericton, NB E3B 1C3;
Prince William Cemetery Inc., 144 Pike Hill Road, Temperance Vale, NB
E6G 2E7; or Hospice Fredericton, 621 Churchill Row, Fredericton, NB
E3B 1P5.
A celebration to commemorate the life of David Lister Myles
will be held at a later date.
www.mcadamsfh.com
Click here to View Condolences
1938-2019
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of David Lister Myles..
Death notice for the town of: Fredericton, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick