Obituary

It is with heavy hearts that we mark the passing of our brother David James Frederick Beatty, on January 12, 2024 in Neimegan, Netherlands, where he resided with his wife Margreet Poilie. He leaves behind his beloved son Gavin (Margaret Johnson), his sisters Nancy and Carol Beatty and brothers John and Tom Beatty, and Frances Golob, and former friends from Fergus with whom he remained in touch Rob Macdonald, Barry Paton. David was a loving, caring, perceptive person with a brilliant mind and a quick smile. First son of Fred an Thorunn Beatty of Fergus was born August 19, 1943 in Montreal, Quebec. Raised in Fergus David was an avid swimmer, basketball player and played on the Fergus Lacrosse Team. He studied piano and obtained his Certificate from the Royal Ontario Conservatory of Music in Toronto. We grew up listening to him practicing at night. Throughout his high school summers he worked at the YMCA camp in Geneva Park in Orillia and enjoyed holidays at the family cottage on Lake Muskoka. Upon graduation from high school with an Ontario Scholarship in 1962 and entered Victoria College at the University of Toronto where he studied Languages and Philosophy. Like his grandfather Milton J Beatty, David graduated four years later with gold medal recognition for his outstanding scholastic achievements. He later obtained his PhD at Michigan State University in Communications. Throughout his career, he was a professor at Concordia University in Montreal, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto, Trent University in Peterborough and Delft University in the Netherlands.