David "Dave" Russell Glaze

Dave was born in 1947 in New Westminster, BC. Being the son of a bank manager meant a childhood of frequent moves for Dave and his sister Sandra to communities across the prairies and Ontario. Eventually his parents settled in Tisdale, SK where Dave attended high school. Then he was off to University of Saskatchewan where he completed a B.A. in Psychology in 1968. It was there, maybe as the Greystone yearbook editor, that his spark for writing was lit. After completing his degree he headed to Europe, where in true late 60s fashion he drove a VW van from England to Morocco, with many adventures along the way. Returning to Canada, he worked various odd jobs including social worker and CBC reporter. He also edited a community newspaper The Saskatonian where he met Susan Gilmer, the love of his life and his partner of almost 50 years.

Dave and Susan remained in Saskatoon where they raised their girls Sarah and Alice. Highlights of those years include kitchen dancing to soul music, frequent easy joking and long leisurely meals that always ended in tea with lots of sugar. Dave and Susan’s home was a gathering place for their family, friends and their daughters’ friends, and Dave was often found in the kitchen cleaning up. Dave was immensely kind and generous and only a few things made him upset – peanut butter in baking, lights being left on, and any perceived or real injustices to others. He was a regular blood donor, and donated time and resources to many worthy organizations including the Open Door Society. Dave was curious about people and a great listener which made it easy for him to connect with new Canadians through this work. Sarah and Alice are grateful for their loving father, and Susan for her loving husband; a true feminist, he embodied being an equal partner and parent and made his daughters feel like they could accomplish anything.

Dave completed his B.Ed. in 1983 and had a long career as an elementary school teacher and then teacher librarian in Saskatoon, including a special tenure at Princess Alexandra School alongside the outrageous and supportive ‘Princesses’. Once he was able to work part time, he was finally able to get writing. He published his first children’s chapter book Pelly in 1993 with Coteau Press and five other books over the next 15 years. His books allowed him to travel for tours and guest spots in schools where he loved to interact with the students and often came back with funny stories. Dave and Susan were also able to travel to Newfoundland where Pelly was in the public school curriculum. Memorable trips with the girls included long-saved-for holidays to Cuba and Scotland, as well as many camping and canoeing excursions. Road trips, often conducted in sweltering heat in decrepit cars without A/C, were also memorable to his daughters although perhaps less beloved.

When their daughters moved away, Dave and Susan travelled a little more in North America and Europe. They also started thinking about the concept of cohousing as a next step for them. With a great group of like-minded people, they built and opened Wolf Willow Cohousing in Saskatoon in 2012 which has been a wonderful community for them.

Shortly after retiring in 2012, Dave developed a shingles infection that progressed to encephalitis, and which marked the beginning of a decade of declining health. It feels unjust that Susan and Dave were not able to fully enjoy retirement together but we are grateful that we did have these last ten years with him.

Dave was predeceased by his parents Phyllis (Ellis) and Russell Glaze and is survived by his wife Susan Gilmer, his daughters Sarah Glaze (Trevor McLeod) and Alice Glaze (Andrew Garrod-Martin), his sister Sandra Glaze Forsythe (Fred Forsythe), his beloved grandchildren Ellis, Malcolm, Torin and Elizabeth, as well as many other close family and dear friends who will miss him.

We are grateful to Dave’s medical team: his family doctors at the Community Clinic, his neurologists Dr. Gary Hunter and Dr. Andrew Kirk, and to the wonderful nurses and caregivers at Central Haven.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Saskatoon Community Clinic, the Open Door Society, or the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. We will be having a service in the fall with in-person and virtual components, but for now we ask that you raise a toast to Dave, get your shingles vaccine and please donate blood! A Celebration of Dave's Life will be held Saturday, Sept 24, 2022 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Station 20 West, 1120 20th St W, Saskatoon. There will also be a zoom option, and for this please contact Alice Glaze at [email protected]

Arrangements entrusted to Travis Minor.