Obituary of David Charles Fry

FRY, David Charles, Age 63, passed away peacefully at home in Halifax on October 22, 2015. David was born on December 2, 1951 in Halifax. He felt fortunate to have a close and loving family that supported and strengthened him throughout his life. He was the son of Elizabeth (Creaser) Fry and the late Charles Fry of Wolfville and Halifax. He was predeceased by his brother, James. David leaves behind Alexander Young, his loving partner of 38 years. Together they embarked on many journeys and shared many incredibly vivid memories both at home in Halifax and at their retirement oasis in Bideford, PEI. David is also survived by his brother Peter (Karen) and Peter's five children – Eben, Lauren, Taryn, Hazen and Maya, his sister Elizabeth (Bill) and their four children – Emma, Graydon, Hannah and Peter as well as James' son, Shay. Both of his siblings provided David with a model of a loving and adventurous approach to life. David felt a strong bond with all of his nieces and nephews, who loved and admired him deeply and with whom he shared many enjoyable times. David loved the water and swimming. They became central themes both in his personal journey as well as in his professional life. David was a very successful swim coach for all his adult life and truly touched the lives of all those he coached throughout his distinguished career. He was the Head Coach of the Dartmouth Crusaders Swim Club in the 1970s and 80s where he helped increase club enrolment from 40 to close to 200 swimmers and led them to many regional championship wins. He spent 16 years as Head Coach of the Dalhousie University Swim Team where his teams won 30 of a possible 32 Atlantic University Swimming titles. He was Dalhousie's Coach of the Year a record five times and twice chosen Canadian University Swim Coach of the Year. Besides the thrill of helping coach his swimmers to two Olympic teams and many National titles, he took pleasure in the improvement and development of all he coached both as athletes and as people. Similarly rewarding was his thirty-year long career as a teacher. David served on the boards of both Swim Nova Scotia and the Canadian Swim Coaches Association. Swimming and running were among the joys of his adult life along with puttering in his garden and cooking for friends and family. David loved learning and even after four degrees; B.A. (Acadia), B.Ed. (Queen's), M.A. (Lakehead) and LL.B. (Dalhousie), he continued his quest of discovering more about the world around him by being a voracious reader. He was a faithful and active member of St. John's United Church in Halifax. A memorial service to celebrate David's life will be held at the Great Hall at the Dalhousie Faculty Club (6259 Alumni Crescent – located just off South St. in Halifax) on October 31, 2015 at 2pm. Donations in memory may be sent to Swim Nova Scotia David Fry Memorial Scholarship: www.swimnovascotia.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to DeMont Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 419 Albert St., PO Box 981, Windsor, NS B0N 2T0 (902-798-8317), Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at the funeral home address or by visiting: www.demontfamilyfuneralhome.ca