Our dear generous, resolute, versatile, and obstinate brother died on November 10, 2025 at the age of 82.
David was born in Toronto and lived there for 55 years. He attended Whitney School, University of Toronto Schools, and the University of Toronto.
He had many interests and careers. He was a bridge player for 60 years, a lawyer for 20, and a journalist, banker, ESL teacher, and B and B host. He was a fan of the Leafs and the Metropolitan Opera. He followed competitive figure skating, the Blue Jays, and Canadian politics. He always voted Liberal, except once, when he voted for Bob Rae because he had known him in law school.
David liked being a lawyer. He worked in poverty law and earned low fees. He specialized in landlord and tenant issues, helping people who were harassed or evicted from low cost accommodation. He was proud that he had argued a case all the way to the Supreme Court.
David met Mary Phillips, nee Johns, while playing bridge somewhere in Ontario. They married in 1987. Mary and David honeymooned in Ireland, on the first of their many international trips.
At Mary’s insistence, they retired in 1998 to Loon Lake in Muskoka. While Mary organized their life, David updated their new home, a 75 year-old log cabin which had been moved from Alberta. He liked learning new skills and regularly discussed techniques and materials with the how-to staff at Home Hardware, and then put them to use at home.
Mary and David taught English in Prague for three short contracts. Mary organized five day weekends and they travelled around central and eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. They moved on to teaching bridge on cruise ships visiting Asia, South America and Antarctica. They travelled to 119 countries and had to get more pages in their passports.
Mary died in 2009 and David never stopped cherishing her. His favourite picture was a photograph of Mary, sitting in Antarctica, wearing a red jacket and special boots, surrounded by small penguins.
Mary had decided that they should open a bed and breakfast in their two cabins on their lakeshore property and David continued to receive guests in the bunkies after Mary’s death. He asked only for donations in Mary’s honour to Cancer North. He bought a condo townhouse in Bracebridge five years later.
David invested a lot of time in recognizing the work of our great-grandfather Dr. Peter Bryce. Peter had been both the first Provincial Medical Officer of Health in North America and the first whistleblower on conditions in Indian Residential Schools.
David was committed to Reconciliation and attended Orange Shirt Day in Ottawa every year on September 30, to honour the children who survived and those who did not. We managed to go to Ottawa again last year to remember out great-grandfather. David went into hospital the day after out return.
David is survived by his sisters, Janet Donaghey and Margaret Bryce. His wife, Mary, our brother, Gregory, and our parents, Mary and Gordon predeceased him.
A celebration of David’s life will be held on Saturday April 11 in Toronto. Please email [email protected] for more information.
David’s remains will be interred in the Bryce plot at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa at a later date.
David was a regular donor to Manna, the food bank in Bracebridge, and to the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. Please visit canadahelps.org if you would like to donate.
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