David Alan Burkinshaw

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of David Alan Burkinshaw on Sunday, March 28, 2021 following a brief illness (non-COVID). David will be fondly remembered by his mom, Marion Burkinshaw of Red Deer; brother, Phillip (Lois), of Spruce View and nephew, Rob (Naomi), of Calgary, and niece, Tracy (Joe) Douglas, of Red Deer; sister, Deb, and niece, Killa, of Calgary, and niece, Erin (Brook) Doan, of Innisfail; sister-in-law, Darleen, of Stettler and nephew, Michael (Kailee), of Red Deer; sister, Laura (Ed) Eschak, of Fort Saskatchewan and nieces, Nicole (Shawn), of Edmonton, Victoria (Cyle), of Port Clements, B.C., and Alexandra of Fort Saskatchewan; sister, Michelle (Wade) Zwicker, of Edmonton and niece, Kaitlyn, and nephew, Steven, of Edmonton; great-nephews, Parker, Spencer, and Phoenix; and great-nieces, Feara, and Sakari. David was predeceased by his Dad, Earl, in 2016; and his brother, Dan, in 2012.

David was born in Red Deer, Alberta on Janaury 17, 1963 and was the youngest son and the fourth child out of six kids. He was nicknamed "Bones" when he was younger as a reference to how skinny David was. He and his brother Dan loved to play and build with LEGO; the basement floor was always covered with their spaceships and other creations, and contests on who could build the tallest tower before it would fall over. They loved to play chess and checkers together. In summer, the backyard became a military battlefield with trenches dug everywhere and little green army men scattered all over the place (army men were still found decades later).

In his teens, David played the French horn with the Red Deer Royals Marching and Concert Band. He traveled with the Royals to England and Scotland in 1976. In high school, he traveled to Europe including behind the Iron Curtain. Several beer steins in his collection reminded him of the places he had been. David graduated from Camille J. Lerouge Collegiate in 1981. After high school he furthered his education by taking courses in Psychology, Sociology, Library and Information Technology, advanced photography, and creative writing courses in both Edmonton and Calgary. At one point after his schizophrenia diagnosis, he considered religious services. He continued with other training including sign language, cooking, art, and travel. He was a lifelong learner right to the end and had recently ordered the”Great Courses for Classical Music” in January. David remained in Calgary until his passing.

David was kind, compassionate, intelligent, and knowledgeable about current affairs and many other subjects. David’s mind was like a steel trap. He had a knack for dates. If you could not remember when something happened, give David a call and he could tell you. He could be stubborn - once he made up his mind there was no changing it. He spent many Sunday afternoons on phone calls with his siblings discussing religion, CoVID, politics, movies, and more.

David enjoyed science fiction (he liked Marvin the Martian from Bugs Bunny), and was an avid fan of the Star Trek and Star Wars movies and books. He looked forward to new movie releases where he analyzed the characters and plots. He had a wicked sense of humor and liked to tease – making comments or sending you jokes that would have you rolling on the floor in laughter. He was a huge fan of the music group ABBA, and of course, the Beatles. 

David’s interest in photography had his camera ready to take pictures at various family functions. He enjoyed nature and looked forward to going to the mountains in the summer, and spending time at the Calgary Zoo. He was focused when discovering a new passion - recently trying to grow flowers and plants, and going for walks in which he was able to lose inches (he had tossed the weigh scale). David was adventurous, trying different types of foods and was willing to experiment - some were liked and the rest were never eaten again.

David was a published author, writing stories for the Star Trek Chronicles, the Schizophrenic Magazine, and a short story - “Fading Image” for FreeFall’s 15th Anniversary Issue - a Canadian Literary Magazine based in Calgary.

Over the years David volunteered at Calgary Police Services, a grocery store, the Canadian Red Cross, Vernon Fanning Centre, Brain Injured Rehabilitation Centre, and the Schizophrenic Society. He spoke with groups and facilitated programs for persons with mental health challenges by aiding with games and assisting clients to access computers through mentoring. He was very involved with his church (St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church) and was a member of the Knights of Columbus (Third Degree Knight). He had a reputation for being dedicated, cooperative, empathetic, and enthusiastic.

David was a great son, brother, and friend. He was a gentle soul. He will be deeply missed.

A Funeral Mass will be held (family members only) at the St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Calgary Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 11:00am. A link for when the Mass will be live streamed at https://youtu.be/7xCMbsD2Epk . 

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to:

The Schizophrenia Society of Alberta at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/12386  

St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church at http://stpiusx.ca/donate/

The Alberta Diabetes Foundation at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/3248/donation