Your Donation Matters to Dave

Dec 19, 2022 – We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dave Perkins. Dave was a champion for our community and a keen supporter of the mission of St. Joseph’s. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time.

Not many people can say they’ve built special radar technology for Canadian fighter planes to help strengthen Canada’s air force.  And not many people can say they played a key role to establish the historical Palace Theatre here in London to foster a more creative community. But Dave Perkins, a resident in the Veterans Care Program at St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute, certainly can.

Dave, 85, has taken on life’s twist and turns with a unique outlook. When his father relocated their family of 9 from Toronto to a small town in Nova Scotia during the depression, Dave spent his childhood wild and free exploring the seaside. 

After a short time working in a bank, Dave wondered if there was something more exciting to do – and so he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1957. He served for 20 years as an electronics technician. When asked what projects he worked on, he jokingly says he’d have to shoot you if he revealed it all, but his time there was full of adventures too.

He recalls when he was transferred to France in the ‘60s, there was a bar called the Manitoba Bar in a village called Auerstedt, which was run by an old woman who took a shine to him. She sent him on regular missions to Dunkirk, France to sneak in duty free champagne.

“It was a wild time to live, but it was a great time,” says Dave. “[RCAF] was at the top of NATO because our pilots were some of the best. We were very proud of the things that our squadrons accomplished during that time.”

That quaint Belgian village is where he met his wife Sue, an English girl. When he was sent back to Trenton, Ontario, Sue joined him and they were married in 1962. A daughter named Victoria and son Michael followed. 

Dave spent his remaining working years at the Kellogg’s Factory in London, Ontario. And his extra time was spent helping transform the Palace Theatre on Dundas Street from a movie theatre – which used to show silent films in the 1920s – into a stage theatre. Dave, along with other members of the London Community Players (LCP), outfitted the building with accessible seating and instilled in London the pride of community theatre. Dave wore many hats while a part of LCP, including actor, lighting designer and even set builder. 

In 1997, the Perkins lost their daughter, 34, to Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She spent her final days in Parkwood Institute’s Palliative Care Unit. Donations were made in her honour, and her name is proudly displayed on a plaque on the wall at Parkwood Institute. 

Dave gets the chance to visit her plaque often, now that he is cared for in the Veterans Care Program at Parkwood Institute. He came to the program after a stroke left him paralyzed on his left side. 

Despite the challenges of navigating his new world in a wheelchair, Dave sees the next chapter of his life at Parkwood Institute as another adventure. He’s a leader in the Classical Music Appreciation Group and enjoys watching the parkland behind Parkwood Institute. He is grateful for the specialized care he receives and all of the special features, like activities, holiday celebrations and the kindness of care providers who are now like family to him.

“It's all the little things that makes such a difference at Parkwood,” Says Dave. “It's the attitude of the staff, the quality of the food, all of that comes together to make it a good experience living here.”

Many of the special touches that help make hospital feel more like home for Veterans like Dave are made possible through donations to Season of Celebration. Now in its 32nd year, funds raised through this special campaign have purchased things that directly impact care and comfort for patients and residents like pressure-reducing mattresses, specialized wheelchairs, blanket warmers and exercise equipment. 

Donations this year will support new equipment to meet the unique and specialized needs of patients and residents, recreational activities that nurture their spirit, and enhancements to living environments to ensure the very best comfort for those who call Parkwood Institute home. 

This holiday season, you can touch the lives of veterans like Dave with a gift to Season of Celebration.

Give a Gift. Brighten a Life.

Donate today