David James Hayward
November 2nd, 2017
HAYWARD, David James
1948-2017
David James Hayward of Springbank, AB was taken suddenly and far too soon on the 2nd of November 2017 at the age of 68. David was a bit of a pack rat, and has left behind plenty of things for us to remove the plastic film from or unbox. Why do you keep the plastic film on that? Why do you need the box still? Well, it was something we asked him often and he always laughed and shrugged it off and told us to just not worry about it. In tradition, I feel we might have to wrap his urn in some plastic, just to keep it in perfect shape.
David was born and raised in Rugby, UK, and worked with the Canadian Military in Germany for 4 years before immigrating to Canada in 1993 with Jacqueline, Justin, Elliot, and Samantha. He was also a workaholic, and loved what he did. So much in fact, I am not sure too many of us knew what he did, because it sounded rather complicated and confusing. His career as a Systems Architect took David around the world, working for many large corporations and companies. He described himself as the “people” person, working with the employees of these companies to achieve their goals. David was most definitely a “people” person and was the life of the party. He also had many, many, many, many hobbies. He was not a perfectionist, as Jacqueline would attest to, as David was not the fastest or the best at some of his hobbies, but nevertheless, that didn’t stop him. From DIY projects around the house that lasted for years, to building computers, gardening, and the occasional outdoor activity. You know, David would make us laugh by using his smart phone case to hold shopping lists written on paper, his crazy amount of “dad” jokes, and very literal sense of humour.
He is loved by his family and will be sorely missed by his wife, Jacqueline of 29 years; children, Darren (Lorraine), James (Karen), Matthew (Katherine), Daniel (Ginny), Ashley (Laura), (all of England), Justin, Elliot, and only daughter, Samantha (Jeff), (all of Calgary); mother, Glenys; brother, Kevin (Pip); sister, Lesley (Mike), and several grandchildren. David was predeceased by his father, Sidney.
The family is holding a small Memorial Service on his birthday at Eden Brook Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home, 24223 Township Road 242, Calgary, AB at 12:00 PM on Tuesday, November 28, 2017.
Messages:
I had the pleasure of working with David (as a consultant with Advanced Logistics Consulting) over the past 20 years. He was a friendly, hard-working, dedicated co-worker who very much cared about the job he was doing for the client. I would convince him to do the documentation, because he was so detailed and so very good at it. He talked of his family often, and you knew how much he loved them. Our hearts hurt for you in this tragic loss. Your obituary and the picture of his wonderful smile provided a great way to remember this special man. God bless you all.
Jacqueline and family, We were so sorry to hear of David's passing a few weeks back. It was a complete shock to all of us at Wis-Pak when Ken Tice called with the news. I can't express to you enough how much David was loved by the group at Wis-Pak. He was always refreshing to be around, with his positive attitude and quick wit. He helped us advance out systems far beyond what we had in place when he first showed up. He also passed on a great deal of his knowledge and approach towards problem resolution to the IT resources he worked with on a daily basis here at Wis-Pak. He was wonderful to work with and will be missed by all. Please know that you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers. Sincerely, Kevin Osterhoff Director of IT Wis-Pak, Inc.
Jacqueline and kids - I had the privilege of working with David for the 8+ years he trekked back and forth to Wis-Pak. He taught me a lot about the computer system he was helping us build, but he became a good friend and part of the Wis-Pak family along the way. The description of David being a 'people' person is so true. We have many stories floating around - he attempted to correct our grammar into 'proper King's English' instead of 'American', called sweaters 'jumpers', attempting to teach us about cricket and what a wicked googly was, and taught us 'English cuss words' like heckensakes and crickey. (hopefully I spelled them properly or he will come haunt me). I have quite a large family with many nieces and nephews that are now having children of their own. He was always telling me we were single handedly populating Wisconsin (though about half live in the deep south). He began calling me 'Auntie Pamelia'. I, in turn, called him Uncle Dave. And he always, always shone with pride when talking about his children. Please accept my sincere condolences on David's passing. He is gone from this world too soon. Rest in peace, 'Uncle Dave'. You are loved and will be missed, my friend.
Hayward Family, I was very sorry to hear about the passing of David and hope the entire family is doing ok during this difficult time. I worked with David for several years while at Wis-Pak. After leaving Wis-Pak I migrated to the same type of work that David performed. Having David as a mentor while at Wis-Pak allowed me to make the career change from Wis-Pak to software consulting. I'm very thankful for the patience, understanding, and kindness that David showed me when we worked together. Take Care Folks. Best Wishes, Jeff Bowdin