It is with hearts full of sadness that we share the passing of David Gerald Cowper on April 14, 2023. After a difficult year long battle with cancer, he slipped away peacefully in his sleep.

He will be missed immensely by his wife and soul mate Lesley, his children Ian (Ashley) and Amanda, his father Gerry (Gayle), sisters Audrey(Steve) and Darlene, sister-in-law Sandra, his 9 grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and goddaughters. Also, his bonus children Lacey and Lori, and dearest friends Darlene, Violet and John. He will also be missed by all those people literally around the world whose lives he touched.

He was predeceased by his son William Michael, Mother Elizabeth (Betty) Bryden and Stepfather Ian Bryden.

Dave grew up on Vancouver Island. It was there in his early teens that his mother signed him up for Sea Cadets, Rainbow. This was a time in his life that he flourished. Learning the skills, disciplines and the foundation of structure that would carry him through his entire life. His Commander, Ken Neilson, guided these Cadets to the highest levels of all of the basic principals of life, leadership, compassion, respect, giving of yourself, teaching and being there for others. All of the great qualities that we look for in people, these cadets learned from a man they all respected for their entire lives. Dave excelled in this atmosphere until his late teens, when cadets ended. The stories he told about this time in his life reflected the fabulous experiences that he had all those years. He wouldn’t have traded that time for anything, and really it molded him into the passionate, caring man all of us knew.

His spirit of caring and service carried through his entire life. He was a volunteer firefighter, a paramedic, a member of the Surrey Search and Rescue and a member of the International Rescue Team. He served with the Red Cross and the Salvation Army during the 1994 Earthquakes in California. He continued his service by teaching Earthquake Preparedness in Schools in North Delta to parents and children. In his later years he continued his service as a ham radio operator for the Coquitlam Emergency network and the Canadian Military. If there was anyone in distress you could count on Dave to be the first person volunteering to help. He stopped for people pulled over on the road, he helped during the flooding in the Lower Mainland. He always carried a first aid kit (it was the first thing packed in the car) and he was always ready to use it.

When Dave was in Grade 10, he wrote in his high school annual that he wanted to “Fix big planes at YVR Airport”. Well, as with anything he was passionate about, he did do this too. For 19 years, he worked as an Avionics Engineer at Air BC, Canadian Airlines and lastly Air Canada. He was the person who had the responsibility of signing out the airplane right before it left. His rule was “If I would not let my family fly on the plane, I will not sign off on it.” He was not going to sign off on it to go. He was not always the most popular person when he did not sign off, but he always did what was safe for the passengers. In his later years, with the airlines he became an instructor, teaching mechanics how to fix planes. He also instilled his rule in them too. In 2015 he retired from the airline industry.

He spent the last few years, semi retired and helping Lesley with the websites and marketing in the Real Estate and Mortgage industry.

We as a family were so proud to be in his life and we firmly believe that the world needs more people like Dave Cowper!!!

Rest well, My Love Night-Night, Kiss Kiss.

A celebration of his life will be held on May 13, 2023 at Maple Ridge Funeral Chapel, 11969 216 Street, Maple Ridge, BC V2X 5H9 at 10:00 AM. For those who cannot attend in person, the event will be livestreamed at www.legacystreaming.com/mapleridgefuneral

In lieu of flowers, donations to your local Cancer Society, Search and Rescue organization, or the Salvation Army would be greatly appreciated.