Teacher, Idealist, Gentleman
October 19, 1921 – August 14, 2010
With great sadness the family of David Reimer announce his passing on August 14th, 2010. Dave was predeceased last month by Faith, the love of his life and wife for 64 years. He is proudly remembered by his loving children and their spouses, Derek Reimer (Maxine Charlesworth), Catherine Panter (Randy) and Christine Reimer (Bruce Heayn); his siblings, Neil Reimer (Jean) of North Saanich, Louise D’Altroy (Fred) of Carlsbad, California and Edgar Reimer (Colleen) of North Vancouver. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, George Reimer, many other family members, former colleagues and friends. Dad will be especially missed by his six grandchildren, Allison, Andrew, Joe, David, Caitlin and Emily and their partners and by his two great-grandchildren, Olivia and Max.
Dave was born in the Ukraine in the unstable aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, a time when many Mennonites and other German-speaking minorities were victimized and driven from their homes. Dave’s father narrowly avoided execution; other relatives were not so fortunate. The family was determined to leave the Soviet Union and arrived in Saskatchewan in 1925 after a difficult journey. Despite an economic depression and drought the family was resolute to succeed in their new country; in 1936 they relocated to the Fraser Valley near Chilliwack.
Dave was a very bright young man who became the first person in his family to obtain a university education. After a stint as a farm worker, Dave attended UBC where he met and soon married fellow honours history student, Faith Woodward. Their marriage was a magnificent partnership of minds, full of happiness and shared purpose.
In 1946, Dave embarked on an impressive teaching career that took him to Ladysmith, Lake Cowichan and Victoria. The last 21 years of his career were spent at Oak Bay High School where he was head of the social studies department. His love of the classroom led him to decline several offers of senior administrative jobs in the school system. An outstanding and inspirational teacher, his powerful ability to awaken the minds of his students is remembered to this day.
Dave was an idealist who believed that the application of historical knowledge to the principles of social justice could improve the world. He developed moderate left wing views along with a faith in transnational cooperation and global institutions. He was an active member of the CCF and later the NDP. He was a delegate to the founding convention of the NDP in 1961 and ran unsuccessfully in the 1963 provincial election when it was unfashionable to be a New Democrat in Victoria. He was active for many years in the World Federalists, a global citizens’ movement fostering stronger democratic institutions in aid of world peace.
A fair-minded, gentle and loving person, Dave was held dear to the hearts of his family and greatly respected by all whose paths crossed his. His vibrant, inquiring mind and thoroughly decent character are a proud legacy that his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will cherish. When health challenges arose in his final years Dave met them with clear-eyed courage and gracious acceptance. He never lost the joy or the comfort taken from being in the presence of his family which was his source of strength, solace and delight. He was a gentleman to the end. The family’s sincere appreciation goes to Sandringham Care Centre where Dave contentedly spent the final four years of his life and where he received loving care from a staff that clearly admired him.
A Celebration of Dave’s life will be held at MCCALL BROS. FLORAL CHAPEL, Johnson & Vancouver Streets on Friday, September 3, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. A reception will follow in McCall’s Family Centre. In lieu of flowers, a donation in Dave’s memory to the Red Cross or Care Canada would be appreciated. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mccallbros.com.
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Phillip Allen Froese
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David Mattison We were very sorry to read of the double loss of your parents. Please accept our deepest condolences on your great loss.
The Mattison and Gregg family
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Erica Fowles Mr. Reimer was without a doubt my favorite teacher at Oak Bay High in the 1960’s. He always made me feel that the world was a source of inspiration and hope. There was something healing about his classes, and I always left them in an optimistic mood. He had a beautiful smile and an attitude that conveyed to me that, where the world was not perfect, it was absolutely worth our committment and energy. What a wonderful gift for an 18 year old…
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Barbara (McKellar) Bulman-Fleming Syd and I extend our sincere sympathy to you all – how very hard to lose both of your parents within such a short time.
It’s hard to describe how much Dave meant to me. He was my homeroom teacher and English teacher (sadly, I didn’t come to appreciate history until fairly recently – the last 20 years or so!) at Oak Bay, and Dave and Faith were our bus leaders on the ’64 Europe trip. Our class adored him – we loved his idealism and his passion. He helped all of us write better, and, I believe, be better people. I hope that our sharing of your grief will help you in the coming days and months. He was a truly great man.V8R 5T6
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karen nordlinger To the family, I was saddened to hear the news of the death of both your mom and dad. I have fond, if distant, memories of both. I often think of your mom when I drink tea, because I remember her saying that a good cup of tea was a often all she needed rather than food. I try it when I am dieting! Anyway, I know that you know that they were influential people for many and will be missed. All the best, Karen Nordlinger
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John and Marnie Phillips To the whole Reimer extended family, and especially to our very close
old friends (in the best sense of those words), Derek and Maxine,
we hope that our love and friendship for you can bring some solace to you in this sad loss. Dave and Faith were wonderful people and
wonderful parents and will be missed by all who knew them. But the
memories that they have left behind will continue to bring smiles of joy to all. Love, John and Marnie.
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Barbara Arneil What an enormous loss – I was so very sorry to hear of David Phillip Reimer’s death. Mr Reimer was my Social Studies teacher in Grade 11 at Oak Bay High School in 1978. I only took the course because I was required to do so (having had less than stellar teachers in junior high for history and geography, I really had no interest in going any further with it). But then I was introduced to history through the eyes of this wonderful teacher, historian and gentleman. I shall never remember the class when he showed us a film about Russian history including those that were persecuted and at one point glanced from the film to see tears running down his cheeks. History was a living thing for him and he made it that way for his students. I signed up for his History 12 course and then I was truly hooked. Thanks largely to him I continued my studies in politics at university and eventually got a doctorate in history from the University of London and am now a professor at UBC in political theory. As I think back to those history lessons so many years ago, I hope that I bring a fraction of the passion and grace to the classroom that Mr Reimer did. I truly believe that he was critically important to shaping what I did in my own life and am glad that I took the time when he retired to let him know the enormous impact he had on me as a person and as a budding scholar. Mr. Reimer’s greatest legacy was that he taught in his own extraordinary way, generations of students how we must never forget what has happened in our collective past if we hope to secure justice in the future.
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Derek Hamlet I was one of the many students who had Dave Reimer as a teacher in the 60s. In addition I was one of the fortunate ones to benefit from having Dave and Faith as the leaders of our bus on the European student tour in 1962. Dave and Faith were that perfect blend of kindness, compassion, tolerance and the odd raised eyebrow that allowed us to make new friendships, appreciate guidance, have tons of fun, learn and have memories for a lifetime. As a teacher, Dave Reimer was the quintessential gentleman and academic who lived by the golden rule, motivated for excellence and treated one and all with dignity and respect. It was a privilege to have been his student.
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Michelle Coburn (Bradshaw) I was fortunate to learn something about justice and caring in Social Studies classes at Oak Bay with Mr. Reimer. The world is not always kind but he made me believe in the possibility that it could be and I thank him for giving us those lessons to illustrate how it can be made different and better for all. Michelle
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Garth C. Gordon, Q.C. I am very sorry to learn of your loss from a former classmate. I was a student at Oak Bay High School 1959-1962 and I had the privilege of being one of Mr. Reimer’s students. As a teenager I was more focused on sports, cadets and things of interest to boys my age – not studies. It was only later during military service, University and a professional career that I discovered how well Mr. Reimer and his colleagues at OBHS prepared us academically for the World that lay ahead of us. I trained with many others from all over Canada after High School and, even with my distraction with non-academic matters during highschool, it became obvious that we had received a first rate education of the highest standard compared to others I met later. I am sure there are many of us who form part of his teaching legacy with deep appreciation.
Regretfully that appreciation was not always expressed at the time we were his students. I remember him with appreciation and gratitude.
I hope all of your happy memories will carry you through this time of loss.
Most sincerely
Garth C. Gordon
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Starter, Robert Mr. Reimer was my teacher in Grade eleven in 1950. He taught me Social Studies in Lk. Cowichan, B.C. I was sorry to read of his passing. I liked him as a teacher and we also enjoyed games of Volley Ball. His lessons were made so much more interesting because of his approach, which was to engage the class in discussion. He was a great guy, I’m glad I knew him.
Condolences to the family.
Robert Starter
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Janet Ker Mr. Reimer was the best history teacher! I looked forward to his class as it was never boring! My condolences to you for the loss of this great man.
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ken gray Many thanks for your fine obituary for my former homeroom and history 12 teacher. Sadly, I dropped out of History 12 to Mr. Reimer’s dismay. Little did either of us expect that the things he urged on us became, after a time, my life passion and principal activity, an activism based in social justice, a critical reading of the media, and an awareness of how history informs the cycles of contemporary political and social discourse. I only regret that I wa not able to speak these things to him personally. Rest in peace, Ken Gray (Rev)
A great loss to the Reimer clan, and to the education fraternity.
Fondly remembered, and sadly missed, by his nephew, Allen Froese, and his daughters Bridget and Deirdre.