David Desmarais

Passed away suddenly at home, on Sunday, May 1, 2022, after a very hard fought and courageous battle with cancer. He and the family had hopeful hearts for his return to health but it wasn’t meant to be. He will be forever and sadly missed by his family and friends.

Dave was a loving husband to his wife of 53 years, Ronna. He was a very supportive dad to his four children, Michelle (Norm), Michael (Trish), Marcey (Scott), Matthew (Marcie), and a very loving grandpa to his 11 grandchildren, Nathan, Liora, Caleb, Aveyah, Kayla, Brooke, Owen M., Tessa, Owen H., Veronica and Jaxon. He is predeceased by his infant grandson, Isaiah.

Dave was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, and helped out on the family farm with the crops and livestock. His love for the farm endured lifelong.

Dave volunteered many decades of his time to various councils and committees at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Gravenhurst. He was a lifelong frequent blood donator to Canadian Blood Services and selflessly impacted many lives. In his younger years, Dave volunteered with local baseball leagues as umpire, children’s coach, and happily chaperoned countless extra curricular trips with his children’s schools.

His career in business commenced, fresh out of high school, with Beaver Lumber (building materials store) and  after subsequent promotions and transfers to newly opened stores in Ontario, he and Ronna set down roots in Gravenhurst in the 1970’s to raise their growing family. After Beaver Lumber,  Dave enjoyed a decades long successful career in the insurance industry. He found his passion later in life on the open road and enjoyed many years of long-haul trucking through USA and Canada. He was especially fond of The Carolinas and Georgia.

Dave loved history, keeping current on worldwide political issues, watching movies and was a math whiz. He enjoyed a good steak dinner and large family gatherings. He and Ronna enjoyed going out most evenings for a coffee together. He enjoyed lazy Sunday afternoons parked under a shade tree, listening to the baseball game on AM radio. His frequent “clean out the fridge” one pot creations were quite unique and mostly enjoyed only by him.

He will forever be remembered for his great sense of humour, quick wit, broad shoulders of support, generous spirit, firm handshake, giant warm hugs, his hearty laugh and an open door policy welcoming everyone.

Special thanks to the many doctors and medical staff at RVH Barrie, SMH Orillia, and SMMH Bracebridge, who journeyed with Dave during his cancer care. He was grateful for their compassionate and superior level of care provided to him.

A visitation will be held at 1:30pm on Friday, May 6, 2022, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, in Gravenhurst, followed by Mass at 2:30pm and internment at 4:00pm in Lakeview Catholic Cemetery in Gravenhurst.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Royal Victoria Hospital (Barrie) Cancer Care Program would be appreciated.