Obituary: David Wyatt

David Wyatt, a longtime anthropology instructor and one of UFV’s first faculty members back in the Fraser Valley College days, passed away on January 12, 2019.

A celebration of life will be held on Sun, Feb 3, at 1 pm at the Straiton Community Hall, 4698 Sumas Mountain Road, Abbotsford.

He started full time at Fraser Valley College in 1975, and retired in 2007. He initially taught at FVC part-time in the first semester of classes offered in 1974.

The following obituary ran in the Abbotsford News:

August 8, 1942 – January 12, 2019
David Wyatt, 76, of Abbotsford, British Columbia, passed away peacefully on January 12th, 2019 in Mission, British Columbia. David was born in Shelton, WA to Ralph and Gladys Wyatt on August 8th, 1942.

He graduated from Shelton High School in 1960. David attended Brown University where he received a Master of Arts Degree in Sociology and Anthropology in 1968, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Anthropology in 1972. David’s PHD thesis “The Indian History of Nicola Valley, British Columbia” can be found in the archives of the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, BC, and in the Smithsonian.

David moved to British Columbia where he taught at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria. David became one of the founding teachers of the new Fraser Valley College and in 2007 he retired from the University of Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, BC, where he had taught classes including: Archaeology, Anthropology, and Comparative Religions.

David was an avid ham radio operator when he was younger used the call sign K7BBU, much to the neighbour’s chagrin. He was an enthusiastic basketball fan and his “Ferguson’s Flower” team allegedly beat the Shelton Junior High Varsity in a game. He was also an avid hiker and in his teens once, allegedly, set out on a three day hike with only a large jar of peanut butter.

David visited Japan often and built his own Japanese styled home on Sumas Mountain. He continued to upgrade and remodel it, all the while battling the mountain beavers for the rhododendrons. David was an avid gardener and spent many hours creating a beautiful oasis. David also loved music, and volunteered for many years at the Mission Folk Music Festival. He had a wicked sense of the absurd and a great sense of humour. Children loved David, and he especially enjoyed their company. He was a good friend and has left a great many people who will miss him tremendously.

David’s parents Ralph and Gladys Wyatt died in 2002. He is survived by siblings Virginia Wyatt (Tina), Susan Wyatt, Nancy Wyatt, Rich Wyatt (Jean), and nephew Gabriel Wyatt-Kelsey. David also leaves behind his BC family, Melinda Dempster (Sheila), daughter of his heart, Amelia Dempster (Alex) and three beloved grandchildren, Alice, Astrid, and Arthur.

A celebration of David’s life will be held on February 3rd at 1 pm at Straiton Community Hall, E4698 Sumas Mountain Road in AbbotsfordE. In lieu of flowers donations to the Christine Morrison Hospice Society in Mission would be greatly appreciated.

One of UFV’s first instructors

In a conversation with Betty Urquhart captured in the Founding of Fraser Valley College booklet (1983) she notes that :

“You will recall that the College Council has given us permission to hire part-time instructors, with some reluctance. We practically had to put our jobs on the line to get their authority. Council’s position was that they did not want to pre-date the principals’ arrival and select staff which he may not have approved.

“At any rate, we did get permission. So we advertised and got a tremendous response. I was left to deal with these — it felt like hundreds — of applicants.
We must have done a pretty good job, because all of them, with one exception, turned out to be excellent instructors and are still with the College today. To mention a few: Dave Wyatt, Astrid Stec, Peter Slade, and Paul Herman.”