Mr. David Peter Vallance

David was born March 22, 1950 in Calgary. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Peter Vallance, graduating with his Law Degree from the University of Alberta in 1976 and articling with him afterwards. David served as a family practice lawyer for over 40 years, guiding and supporting his clients through times of difficult conflict, sometimes at significant personal cost. Recently he transitioned his career to mediation, continuing his mission of supporting people through their own challenges and conflicts. David’s strength and big heart were a gift to those around him.

David will be remembered as an adventurer with a larger-than-life personality. He travelled the world, sailed large parts of the Canadian West Coast, cross-country skied competitively, biked, camped, hiked and climbed extensively in the Rocky Mountains as a member of the Alpine Club of Canada. He was also a creative soul who expressed himself through photography, needlework and an exploration of Haida art. If David believed something was worth doing, he immersed himself completely. David was known to have a unique intellectual curiosity, from studying Buddhism to dissertations on Nietzsche; he could often be found with a novel in his hand or reading the latest news in physics, neuroscience, and psychology.

David is survived by so many people who dearly loved him. These include his beloved wife, Valerie Vallance, with whom he enjoyed five years of marriage, many adventures, a burgeoning jam and jelly business, and a foray into apiculture; his mother Jean Vallance; siblings Barb (Larry Zehanoviz) and Bruce (Myrna Germaine-Brown); children Meghan (Derek Morin), a retail planner in Calgary, Matthew (Nikki Carriere) a helicopter mechanic in Papua New Guinea living in Calgary, and Patrick (Anne Kemp), a medical student living in Edmonton; their mother Janet Gourlay-Vallance; and his special joy, grandchildren Sytiera, Auburn, Meadow and Hunter.

Flowers are gratefully declined. If you have a story to share about David please email [email protected].

Please feel welcome to attend a Celebration of Life for David Peter Vallance, Saturday, February 11, 2017 at the Capitol Hill Community Centre, 1531 21 Avenue NW, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

David entered the world on 22 March 1950 in Calgary, the first of three children born to Peter and Jean Vallance, who said goodbye to a nursing career to provide full-time homemaking and support Peter in his law career. David was precocious, walking and talking much earlier than normal, already exhibiting a penchant for adventure. It was not unusual to find him climbing anything and everything, exploring a neighbour’s yard or a delivery vehicle, or encouraging siblings Bruce (17 April 1953) and Barbara (14 October 1954) to step out of the box and join him in his misadventures.

David acquired his love for the outdoors and the mountains early in life. When David was four years old, the land on Windermere Lake was purchased and the cabin built. Many vacations, especially during the summer, were spent travelling through the mountains, playing in the grove, on the beach and in the water, and taking trips to the back country.

Paternal grandparents Sydney and Doris Vallance had retired to Banff, so David and his family had a wonderful stopping point on the way to Windermere. The family went downhill skiing frequently from the time David was very young. He became a superb skier and later worked one summer at the heli-skiing paradise “The Bugaboos”. Another summer David worked wrangling horses at Lake O’Hara.

Maternal grandparents, Mac and Gladys McFarlane lived in Calgary. Mac passed away when David was fairly young, but Gladys was a frequent presence, especially during the many Windermere holidays. Dave’s Gill and Murray cousins were part of his life growing up as well, both in Calgary and Windermere.

David participated in many activities during his school years in SW Calgary at Knob Hill Elementary and Viscount Bennett Junior and Senior High School, graduating in 1968. He was very active in the Boy Scouts of Canada; a high school football star; an accomplished percussionist, playing in the school band and a special dance band. Mature for his years, David was charismatic, an honours student, and not afraid to challenge the status quo even then.

During fall of 1968 David was accepted into the University of Alberta in Edmonton, where he completed two years towards a B.A. and experienced life as a roughneck on a drilling rig during the break in between. Much to the consternation of parents Peter and Jean, David took a three-year hiatus to explore an alternative lifestyle on a commune near Onoway, outside of Edmonton. It was the Age of Aquarius, bell bottoms, tie-died shirts and love-ins. David reveled for a time in it, grooving to the music; sporting a beard and long hair; building log homes plus wearing and selling leathers of his own creation as his contribution to the commune. Eventually recognizing that he wanted more from life, David returned to the mainstream and gained admission to the University of Alberta Law School.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Peter, David graduated with his Law Degree from the University of Alberta in 1976 and articled with him afterwards. On Peter’s retirement in 1988 David assumed the Calgary practice. During 40 plus years of practice David had the opportunity to work successfully with hundreds of lawyers and clients on some fairly high profile cases.

In 1976 David met architect Janet Gourlay through a mutual lawyer friend shortly after she moved to Calgary - a fit, surefooted outdoor enthusiast keen to see the mountains and go hiking. David invited Janet to a youth hostel weekend in spectacular Yoho National Park, the first of many such forays.

It was hard not to fall in love with both the mountains and the man who made it possible to be there, and in 1997 they were married. For their honeymoon they undertook two adventures: climbing Mt. Assiniboine and sailing in the Gulf Islands on the west coast.

Sailing became a passion. Daughter Meghan was born in April 1979, and their next west coast sailing adventure was that same fall. In 1981 they purchased a newly built ‘Saturn 33’ sail boat and spent the month of June exploring the Desolation Sound area of the west coast. The next three Christmases were spent winter sailing on the boat with many adventures in the Gulf Islands and the San Juan Islands. They also sailed up the Juan de Fuca Strait to Tofino and Hot Springs Cove north of Tofino and Barclay Sound several times. It was their practice to sail off season when the winds were better.

Janet and David sold the boat in 1983 but David did not stop taking groups of people out to the coast for sailing and fishing adventures up until the early 1990’s. Son Matthew was born in July of 1986 and his first sailing was in the fall of 1986 as a baby. Son Patrick followed in November of 1989.

David and Janet joined the Calgary Section of the Alpine Club of Canada early on in their marriage and remained members of the main Club, participating in multiple group climbs and ski touring adventures throughout their time with the Club, building and nurturing lifelong friendships.

Like his father and grandfather before, David was an avid climber and hiker. It was only natural that he would become involved with the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC). David spent many days of his life in the mountains of Alberta and BC - hiking, fishing, skiing, camping, biking and climbing. He was passionate about the mountains, and had a few special places he revered - which he called "magical". As an active member of ACC, David joined in many ACC climbing trips, and also climbed in Washington state (Ranier, Baker) and Yosemite (Lost Arrow).

He was a staunch supporter of the ACC, serving as Chairman of the Calgary Section for 2 years, and then as Secretary to the ACC Board of Directors for four years, during which time he was a key driver of fundamental reforms to the structure and management of the Club. In 1988, he became part of a small group of dedicated individuals who worked over a period of six years in partnership with the Southern Alberta Hostel Association to build the Canadian Alpine Centre in Lake Louise, which opened in 1991.

David thought of himself first as a mountain man, boasting about climbing all the mountains between Calgary and Banff. He told stories about remote camping and six-hour running marathons. He bought an outrageously expensive mountain bike and secured it unobtrusively in his garage for a time; then biking became one of his passions. If David believed something was worth doing he immersed himself in it completely.

Between 1988 and 1993 David trained with Foothills Cross-Country Ski Club and became a successful competitive cross-country ski racer, earning a Distinguished Member Award and winning the Provincial Masters Competition in 1990 at the age of 40.

David’s first introduction to the Haida art was a sailing adventure with friends in Haida Gwaii in 1987. Interest piqued, there followed at least two additional trips that were dedicated to searching out Indigenous settlements to view their totems – Kingcome Inlet and area was in 1989, and another in 1990. Intrigued, David studied the art extensively, invested in carving tools, and created plaques, masks, bent boxes and totem poles well into the late 1990s.

David and father Peter took several extended trips together, including Botswana in 1993 and a trip to Hong Kong several years later.

David’s and Janet’s last trip as a family was in 1995. After their separation, David and Janet successfully co-parented their children, and it is this experience that was the underpinning of his passion for ensuring fairness, particularly as it relates to the children of broken relationships and whenever possible through mediation versus trial.

Around 2002 David’s interests turned to the study of Buddhism and he pursued that passion for close to ten years. His Buddhist commitment was between 2002 – 2012. He completed many retreats in Merritt, BC, with travel to Myanmar, India and Texas for extended 45-day retreats. He befriended a Calgary monk and travelled with him, collecting alms and living a monastic life for several months.

David served on the board of the Vipassana Society outside of Seattle until 2012 and was an Executive Trust Member of the Alberta Vipassana Foundation from 2004 through 2012. He shared his studies with his mother, who found solace in them after the passing of his father in August of 2008. During this period he also committed time to sitting with individuals in hospices without family and easing their passing.

David loved food and enjoyed the Calgary dining scene. He became a fine gourmet cook and would by his own admission state that he had lost and regained several times his own weight during his lifetime. He enjoyed concerts and he and Janet were often seen at venues such as the Calgary Philharmonic opera.

He had a personal dresser and his public image was impeccable. A view of his closet would exhibit at least a dozen suits, four dozen shirts, and 150 silk ties, which were replaced regularly. He owned elegant court robes and wore them proudly and he also owned an impressive tuxedo. Semper paratus!

David and Valerie were high school colleagues whose paths crossed many times during the years over legal matters before they started seeing each other in 2011. David’s last ten-day meditation retreat was at the end of 2011, taking his fiancée Valerie to Merritt. Disappointed at being passed over for a teaching position for the third time, he was convinced by the Buddhist teachings and his mentor at the Buddhist temple in Calgary that the quest for enlightenment was equal to the commitment to marriage and slowly moved his intentions outwards.

Having hosted weekly meditation sessions for some years, home renovations disrupted this commitment and the sessions moved to another location. He and Valerie attended for a time but he shifted his focus to expanding his obsession with photography, thereby reducing his commitment to occasional consultation to the Alberta Vipassana Foundation.

Meanwhile, his children were forging partnerships of their own, providing David with grandchildren; Matt and Nikki’s Sytiera born March 2003, Meadow born May 2012, Hunter born February 2016; Megan and Derek’s Auburn born June 2010. David was smitten. Patrick met Anne, with whom he moved to Edmonton to pursue medical school.

David and Valerie married in 2012. With Valerie came five stepchildren, Martin, Ryan, Kieran, Elana and Mera, who were also forging partnerships of their own, plus Valerie’s last Australian shepherd, Maxie. David and Maxie and Patrick, who was living with them, and later Anne, bonded with Max in a special way.

In 2014 after feeling devastated when Maxie passed on at the ripe old age of 17, Valerie gifted David with Karma puppy, his first dog. Strider followed a year later. Both loved him and as he had with Maxie, he in turn formed a special bond with each.

Ever the mountain man, David and Valerie had many adventures including helicoptering into Assiniboine; hiking in Lake O’Hara; honeymooning in France; camping in the Columbia Icefields; a ten-day four-wheel drive camping adventure in Moab; a trip to Florida to explore natural wildlife preserves; dozens of forays into the Rocky Mountains and foothills; an expedition to Tofino; a three-week photography trip to Costa Rica; advanced deep diving off Nihau on vacation in Hawaii and other explorations on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.

David’s passion for photography combined with his curiosity and spirit of adventure would often find him dropping to the ground in the most unlikely places to capture the perfect shot, oblivious of inclement weather, puddles, ocean waves, snow, cliffs, sand and scree. He left many pairs of glasses behind but fewer photography accessories when Valerie came along. His photography equipment collection was impressive and his accumulation of pictures close to 80,000 by the time of his demise. He often created albums and slide shows to present to family and friends, technology allowing the inclusion of music.

In 2014 with the blessing of their neighbours, David and Valerie invested energy into beekeeping. David painted native art designs on the roofs of three top bar hives, and together they learned how to maintain bee hives through education, experience, and research. Three years later the yard and neighbourhood were supporting three beehives and David was regularly recruiting people to assist. Honey and wax production were added to the to-do list. Overwintering is a challenge, but all three appear to have survived the worst of the winter – yet another David legacy.

David was known to have a unique intellectual curiosity, from studying Buddhism to dissertations on Nietzsche; he could often be found with a novel in his hand or reading the latest news in physics, neuroscience, and psychology. Vociferous in opinion and a voracious reader, his appetite for book consumption was insatiable, and his ebook collection numbered well into the thousands.

David was a Court of Queen’s Bench Disputes Resolution Officer since program inception January 2009 until the date of his death. He successfully transitioned from Family Law to Mediation starting in 2012, closing his downtown office and moving to a home office setup. His mediation education was extensive and impressive, notably from the Justice Institute of British Columbia, Harvard, and Pepperdine University. He enjoyed participating in government civil and family practice mediations and believed everyone was entitled to affordable mediation. By the end of 2016 people were seeking out David’s particular style of expertise and his mediation practice was expanding.

David Peter Vallance died suddenly and unexpectedly in his home on the 14th day of January, 2017 leaving his family a legacy in enthusiasm and curiosity. Was Maxie waiting for David at the end of the Rainbow Bridge when he left this world?

David touched the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing him. We have learned from him and we will miss him.