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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
Van VALKENBURG, David Keith - It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of David Keith Van Valkenburg, who passed away in his home in New Minas on the morning of 21 June, 2024 after a long battle with heart disease.
Born on 9 February 1946, Dave (also known as V12 by his navy colleagues, and ‘Captain Canada’ by his closest friends) was the oldest child of the late Arthur and Ann Van Valkenburg and was born and raised mostly in and around Orillia, Ontario. In 1967 he joined the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) as a ‘stoker’ with the lowest possible rank and was promoted numerous times over his career reaching Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class (CPO2) within 14 years - this is the second highest position a non-commissioned officer can reach in the RCN. While in the Navy, Dave spent a large portion of his time out at sea - and much of that time was spent working in the hot engine rooms of various ships ranging from old diesel and steam engined submarines and ships to the more modern hydraulic class vessels - and he loved every minute of the journey. Dave was a deeply patriotic Canadian and in 1987 he left service in the RCN to work for the National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa where he continued his public service and maintained his deep ties to the Navy. He retired from public service in 2005 and moved back to NS to retire. While Dave enjoyed many aspects of his life in Ottawa and retirement - a part of him always missed the camaraderie of life in the Navy and life on the sea. He was a sailor through-and-through.
Dave was kind and gentle and always full of smiles and laughter. He was able to strike up a conversation with anyone at anytime - and he usually did. He was the life of many parties. He loved to play golf and he loved to shoot pool. He loved hanging around the campfire having a ‘wet-one’ with his friends. He loved music and was always singing or whistling a tune - he sang on the radio as a teenager. There is not a song from the 1950s or early 1960s that he did not know (and sing every word to) when it came on. He loved to work with his hands and had various woodworking and mechanical hobbies over the years. He was an avid reader with a particular love for westerns and espionage. Mostly though, he loved his family and friends and would do anything for them - he was a devoted husband and father. He was a great Dad.
Dave is survived by his wife of 55 years Lucy (New Minas), son David and daughter in law Kelly (Mannix) (The Hague, NL), sisters Linda (nee Shirk) and Gail (nee Munro) (Ontario), brothers William and Robert (Ontario) and many in-laws and nieces and nephews who are going to miss their Uncle Dave. We all will.
By request, cremation has taken place and there will be no visitation or funeral service. Dave will ultimately have a sea burial (date unknown). Arrangements have been entrusted to the Dartmouth Funeral Home and to the Chaplain Marine Forces Atlantic. Donations in memory may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia
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