Although Dave (David) Alan Neale was the kind of man to dream about winning a lottery, he still found happiness in very ordinary activities and great joy in his family. Dave liked to play broomball, hockey, softball, camping, golfing, and travelling. He loved coaching and watching his kids in their various activities. He doted on his adopted daughter, Trinity. He made friends easily and kept them for life. Dave was the kind of guy who always found time to help others in any way he could.
“He was just a great guy. He was a structural aircraft technician, making life-long friends throughout his career. Everybody liked him – all his coworkers,” says his father, Al Neale. “He had a lot of friends.”
When Dave died very unexpectedly of a heart attack in November 2011, at the young age of 54, Al was in a state of shock. Dave’s wife, Lorry, looked after all the funeral arrangements. When Al returned home he wanted to do something to commemorate his son because Dave had always been doing for others.
For the next three years the thought of doing some kind of fitting memorial kept percolating in his mind. “I kept saying, ‘I want to do something to honour Dave and remember him.’ I woke up in the middle of the night and it just hit me. It was a wonderful flash. I’ll create a fund for Dave and Trinity through the Shuswap Community Foundation.”
Trinity, like her father, was also adopted.
“He was devoted to Trinity so I included her too. She was challenged but has made great strides in her development. She was really grief stricken and lost when he died.”
It so happened that Albert Spencley and Doreen McCaig had given money to the Shuswap Community Foundation but their fund needed ‘topping up’ to make it a viable endowment fund. Al added the rest of the money and named it in honour of Dave and Trinity. This is a discretionary endowment fund and Al is happy various groups will benefit in the name of his son and granddaughter. This endowment fund will forever honour the special bond between father and daughter.
The Shuswap Daycare Society is one of the beneficiaries of this particular grant.
As Karen Bubola thanked Al Neale and the Shuswap Community Foundation at the 2018 Annual Community Meeting she said the money was going to much needed upgrades for their kitchen. No doubt this would have made Dave happy because his own children were the joy of his life, says Al.
“He liked watching the kids in their various activities. He loved to laugh and spend time with them.”