| As from 1st September 2002, David
Oliver took over as Director of Music
at Leatherhead Parish Church from Chris Slater.
David, who was from the North East, had lived in
Leatherhead since 1992. He was a composer &
writer, specialising in children’s music –
writing for BBC TV, GMTV and many holiday companies
within the UK & Europe. He was a professional
musician for over 25 years, and was formerly organist
at West Rainton in County Durham. He and Debra
were married at Leatherhead Parish Church on 20
August 2006.
His funeral took place here on 5 Feb 2009.
It was a moving celebration of a full life which had
achieved so much, and which had so much more yet to
give.
A CELEBRATION OF DAVID'S LIFE
| David and I were deeply
touched by all the amazing love, support and
kindness that we received from our family and
friends during the last twelve months.
Knowing that we were not alone but surrounded
by your love through every difficult step of
our journey gave us enormous strength and
courage, helping us both to continue. All
the beautiful cards, letters, emails and also
the messages posted to his 'blog' gave us
many happy, cherished moments. So many acts
of kindness brought the light of pure love to
the darkest days.
I thank you all on
behalf of David and I with a full heart.
Special thanks today to all those taking
part in this service and to those who have
given so much of themselves to make this day
a happy celebration of David who we all love
so much.
Debra
|
 |
Nimrod
Sir Edward Elgar
Sentences
Introduction
The Lord's My Shepherd
Crimond
Tribute
Dex Smith
DAVE
I would like to offer my
condolences to Debra, Dave's wife. To his
children, Kirstie and Kristofer: Dave's
family from Houghton; and Debra's family from
Southport.
We've all lost a very dear
friend. Dave is someone we will miss very
deeply.
When talking about Dave, it's
impossible not to mention Debra in the same
breath. Debra has also lost her best friend,
a husband and her musical partner. They have
lived and worked so closely together for 20
years, and just as the pain at this moment is
so intense, so I'm sure will the happy
memories be equally as intense when Debra
looks back and remembers their life and the
happy times together.
Dave touched lots of peoples'
lives through his music, thousands of kids
through his and Debra's Rory
productions, the parents of those children
who watched Dave's shows realising Rory was
not just the usual holiday camp production,
but productions filled with lots of great
songs, ideas and characters.
We will be reminded of Dave
for a lot of years to come when we hear by
chance one of his theme tunes on the TV, or
the kids playing a CD, or a piece of Church
music.
The last few years Dave was
involved a lot in this church, playing
conducting and organising music here. Dave
told me this gave him some of the greatest
satisfaction and pleasure he had ever had
from music.
I've known Dave for over 20
years. He was at my wedding in Germany where
he also acted as photographer,
enthusiastically organising the guests in the
correct order of appearance for the camera.
And I was really impressed. It was only later
that I realised this was largely down to
Debra's dad's influence, Pete, a professional
photographer.
He also played organ at my
daughter Elena's christening in Germany,
secretly re-arranging a little tune Elena's
granddad had written for her into a full
blown organ recital. With that, for Dave
small gesture, he made an old man
unbelievably happy and proud.
He was more than a friend to
me and I think I was more than a friend to
him. We were like brothers without all the
family problems, we were soul mates. When we
had problems or something major was happening
in our lives, the other one would somehow
sense it and get in touch. It was uncanny but
it was really like that. We could sense what
the other was feeling.
I often told Dave how great
he was, how talented he was, how much I and
lots of people respected his work and thought
a lot about him and how he had achieved a lot
in his life. How proud I was of him and how
proud he should be of himself. But somehow I
had the impression in his striving for
perfection and always looking for the next
opportunity to further his career, he never
really believed me.
Debra and I told him all
these things again in his last hours, and I
think he finally really believed us. I think
he realised he had achieved a lot with his
life. And that somehow gave me a great sense
peace. And just like all those other times
when I sensed what Dave was feeling. This
feeling of peace I was feeling, came from
him.
Dave, thanks for being my
friend.
You will always have a special place in my
heart.
|
Worship And
Praise Your Name
D Andrew-Oliver & D Oliver
Performed by the St Mary & St Nicholas Music
Group
For
David From Debra
written by Debra
Read by Celia Marchisio
As a small choirboy at his beloved church
of ‘St Michael and All Angels’,
David was so enthralled by the power and
energy of the church organ that he decided he
wanted to learn how to play it. Right there
in that moment David’s love of music was
born.
How grateful am I to have known such a
gifted, talented and spiritually attuned man.
I am privileged to have shared his journey
through life, and blessed to have shared his
music. Listening to our favourite songs would
lift us both on bad days; creating music with
each other was truly special; most
importantly the power and potential healing
that music can bring to any soul, was
discovered together.
We all know that David enjoyed running his
own band in his youth, that he excelled in
arranging and producing well known songs for
many happy listeners, that he was thrilled to
write songs for children across the UK;
especially when so many children wrote to him
to say thank you. But what many of you
don’t know is that David never felt like
he had made much of an impact on anybody,
that he always wondered if he had ‘made
a splash’ in the vast ocean of life.
Well David, you did, you really ‘made a
splash’ and you were loved for being
you. You are loved still.
I came to realise that David’s desire
to reach out for music that day as a small
choirboy eventually brought him back to the
music he loved most, music that would mean
everything to him and to many others. For by
God’s grace he began work here at St
Mary and St Nicholas Church, as Director of
Music and I know this took his musical gifts
to a much higher level.
It became clear before long that the music
David began to write for the choir, music
group and congregation here at this church
was his ‘life passion’. He would
sit for hours in our home working on anthems,
songs, and ‘settings’. Then he
would hurry out of the house saying, “I
have to catch the printers, we are going to
rehearse this tonight!”. His eyes would
light up, his smile beaming, he would be so
very excited that he could hardly wait to
hear his music come to life. When it did, it
was truly heaven sent. It was then that
David’s musical talent and ability shone
like the brightest star.
David and I always felt that during the
‘writing’ process something much
bigger than either of us would inspire us and
we felt we were channelling music from a much
higher source. I know this made him feel
humble, that he was in awe of God’s
gifts, that really he had found his heaven
here on earth.
Everybody shared in his music as we sang
it and played it. We listened to his music
and were deeply moved by it; and though
‘heaven sent’ it has to be
recognised that David’s certain style,
his own special magical, musical touches made
his music hit us all right in the heart. How
blessed we are to have known you David. How
you have enriched all our lives. We thank
you.
So of course we will all remember
David’s beautiful smile, we will all
remember his sense of humour, his laugh, his
sensitivity, his wisdom, his spirituality and
we will all remember his positivity. We will
forever enjoy his wonderful music and we all
know he will live on with us each time we
sing his lyrics, or hum one of his melodies.
But I ask you now to take a moment to
remember David’s amazing courage, his
strength, his bravery. He quietly fought a
long and difficult battle to stay here with
us, never giving up; always having hope;
always writing music. For David still had so
much more music inside of him that he wanted
to write, that he wanted to share. During
recent months he wrote some of his most
inspired works; you will hear them today.
David had so much to give, so much love and
music inside him that now he will be sharing
it with choirs of angels, of this I am sure.
We love you David, we are so very proud of
you. Your star will keep shining and we will
hold you in our hearts forever.
|
The Lord Bless
You
D Oliver
Holy Child
D Oliver
Choir and Organ
Footprints
Read by Wanda Fabriek
I Will Try
D Andrew-Oliver
Recording of Debra and David
The Raising of Lazarus
John 11
Read by Canon David Eaton
Psalm 150
music D Oliver
Choir and Organ
Jay Bristow: 8 Feb 2009
Address
Canon David Eaton
David’s death has come as a hammer
blow to all of us who knew and loved him and
to the life of this church, where he has been
an inspirational Director of Music.
We extend the sincerest of sympathies to
Debra and Kirstie and Kristofer in their
loss.
Dex has spoken movingly of David and with
great affection about their friendship which
goes back many years.
I would like to try and give snapshots of
David’s life and the many things which
were important to him. It is a life rich in
accomplishment and a great deal of talent,
hard work and ability; a life which loved
life and all that there is to be discovered
and enjoyed.
You may have noticed that David was a
Geordie. He grew up in Houghton-le-Spring,
County Durham, and it was in the Parish
Church of St Michael and All Angels he first
learnt to play the organ. He quite often
spoke of that time. It was clearly a very
important and a formative beginning. It was
from there that he went to Music College and
his career took off.
If you’ve been on a Haven Holiday you
will have seen and enjoyed David and
Debra’s work. David was involved with
Haven for 20 years. He put their annual show
together – composed the music and wrote
the numbers – which were performed in
their holiday camps. After 20 years it was
probably time to move on – as David said
“there are only so many songs you can
write about bananas!”. However it has
been a hugely important part of David’s
life with Rory the Tiger and all the other
animals the kids loved. They put in a special
appearance at David and Debra’s wedding.
David also did the cruises and was proud to
have played the QE2.
He was Musical Director at The Hilton on
Park Lane and at the National Theatre for the
David Hare Trilogy. He was also MD
for panto at Christmas and played for many
big names in the musical theatre world.
Kids’ tv featured but latterly, although
he would always be at home with light
entertainment, he had become more focussed on
the Anglican choral tradition and hence the
pieces, like Psalm 150, which we are hearing
today.
It is part of the tragic irony of
David’s death that as his health got
worse he seemed to be more inspired.
David loved Cathedrals. Because he was
from the North East, naturally Durham
was top of the list. If you’ve
been there you’ll know it’s a great
red-stoned imposing edifice on raised ground,
hugely evocative and mysterious. All this
appealed to David and drew out the music and
faith within him. But as well as Durham, Liverpool
(not dissimilar in style and equally
imposing) pulled at his heart strings. A
member of Debra’s family helped to lay
the bricks. And then there was St Paul’s
in London and Saturday Evensongs – a
kind of preparation for services here on
Sunday. Church and Cathedral visiting was a
feature of David and Debra’s travels, be
that St Peter’s Rome,
the Holy Sepulchre in
Jerusalem, or a discovered
favourite church whilst travelling in
America.
David had a lot of energy. He used to
knock off 100 lengths or one mile at Cannons.
In fact rumour has it the reason that Cannons
has changed hands recently is because they
couldn’t make ends meet when David
wasn’t able to be around so much. He was
also an accomplished sub-aqua diver and made
me very envious with descriptions of dives in
the Red Sea and elsewhere.
For him this was all part of the richness
life had to offer: he was daily on the NASA
website, would rush outside to
see the International Space
Station go over. He loved
ornithology, garden birds he spoilt rotten,
and flowers: white roses and daffodils
because they shouted new life (hence you have
received on entering church today).
I used to get it in the neck from David
because my computer skills are very plodding:
David’s were state-of -the-art. An
essential part of his work and a part of him,
like breathing. Of course you had better make
sure it was an Apple Mac you were using
– he had no time for any of the other
rubbish on the market.
Debra tells me that one Christmas they
joined the Salvation Army Christmas Day
Refuge as volunteers. David arrived with
rubber gloves prepared to do the washing up,
if you can believe it, but when they walked
in they discovered that the TV was out of
action. So it was off with the Marigolds an
in with an old piano standing in the corner.
He said: “Looks like we have been sent
here today to use the gifts we have been
given.” So he played and Debra sang: he
even did a bit of washing up; and a great
time was had by all.
Which brings us back to David’s
music. He was a great musician, with a huge
natural talent. And the outstanding thing for
me about David as Director of Music was that
he was equally at home with classical and
popular music, whether playing, writing or
conducting. A rare gift. That’s why we
are hearing both in this service. Our choir
and Music Group owe a great deal to his
inspiration and leadership.
Like all good Directors of Music he
didn’t mind laying down the law, but
mostly, like the softy he was, he loved them
and encouraged them, and they loved him in
return. He brought musicians together and
made it work.
He was particularly delighted with our
18th Century restored Thomas Parker pipe
organ – as he said “a
fantastic 50th Birthday present”. Here
he was able to indulge his love of Handel and
Purcell and West End Music. But he could also
move on a pace on the electronic keyboard and
grand piano, when he swung into easy
listening and the popular standards or the
new wave of Church Worship songs.
And it wasn’t all about him. He was
Director of Music. He knew how to bring out
the best in others and to make sure the music
gelled and had the right balance. Nowhere was
that more evident than in our annual Nine
Lessons and Carols service which David had
made his own. A unique blend of old and new
church music, the congregation for which in
the last few years has, I think, trebled.
He was also a composer. We are hearing his
work today. I kept on at him to get it
published and promised him, towards the end,
that I would pursue publication in his
memory. It deserves a wider hearing. Many of
the pieces were written for specific people,
or choir or group and were David’s way
of saying you matter to me and this is how I
show it. His death is a tragic loss in many
ways. One of them is the music he had in him
which was yet to be written.
David was, of course, very human. He
wasn’t perfect and he wouldn’t want
me to say he was. Things hadn’t always
gone well or gone right. There may be
regrets. Forgiveness may be needed. It all
meant that David wore his heart on his sleeve
and that is part of what was endearing about
him. All of our lives are broken in some way.
There is huge expectation in our culture and
a good deal of finger pointing when things go
wrong. The reality is that none of us is
fully mature or whole. We often do the best
we can, but even so things fall apart. David
was vulnerable but we loved him for it.
David and I used to meet to choose the
hymns for Sundays. About which we soon
discovered you can please some of the people
some of the time but there is always a Smart
Alec who … well you get the picture. But
actually quite a lot of the time, when we
were together, we spent sharing what was
getting us down. There are too few people you
can do that with. Having a place to be
yourself, and say it the way it is, is
important. I will always remember David as
someone willing to share his own frailty, and
mine.
It was in this way he was devoted to those
closest to him: Debra, Kirsty and
Christopher, immediate members of his family
and Debra’s, and also to many of us who
were his friends and he ours. The waters of
friendship ran deep.
Because his death is so premature it is
hard to grasp. Can it really have happened?
He fought to keep going. He wasn’t going
to give up, or give in. He had found Princess
Alice Hospice a great support.
This is equally true of the Queenscourt Hospice
at Southport, where he died, with Debra and
Dex at his bedside. And of course he made his
mark there: by playing the grand piano for
patients and staff, a final curtain, and
hugely appreciated. Monies given in
David’s memory will go to Queenscourt
(you may do so as you leave). There had been
no music there before David, to speak of, so
these donations will be used to provide an
Ipod for each patient who can then listen to
the music of their choice.
I am thankful I was able to hear much of
the music we have heard today before this
service: otherwise I would have been on the
floor. It is all too much, and all too much
David, as we knew him and loved him.
The most telling line in the story of the
raising of Lazarus is Mary and Martha’s:
“If you had been here our brother would
not have died”. Both affirmation of
Jesus and his power to save, and yet reproach
and anger that Lazarus was now dead. Which
is, of course, so much of what we are all
feeling today. We have lost a husband, a son,
a father, a close relative, a dear friend. We
have lost a man of great ability and talent,
a gifted musician and conductor.
I can’t justify that to you or before
God. There is no good reason to come up with.
What perhaps we know is that is often not the
business of God to spare us from a loss like
this. But it is his business to bring hope
out of despair, to bring new life and
goodness out of tragedy
When Lazarus died Jesus wept. The Jews
said: “How dearly he must have loved
him”. Jesus said: “Did I not tell
you: that if you have faith you will see the
glory of God”.
It is for this we pray, as we honour
David’s memory today, thankful for all
that we received from David; thankful to have
known him and loved him; blessed to have
shared life with him. His legacy will always
live on; his memory will always be cherished.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
|
Prayers of
Thanksgiving
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in Heaven.
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen
Hymn
The Day Thou Gavest
Commendation and Farewell
The Living Years
Rutherford, Robertson
Performed by Dex Smith, Peter Brent, Steve Henderson,
Paul Thompson & Jay Bristow
The Skye Boat Song
performed by Hedley Kay and Rhyanne
Acott
The Committal follows immediately
at Randalls Park
Crematorium for immediate family and friends.
All are welcome in The Parish Church Hall opposite
for refreshments following the service.
Donations in David's memory may be
made to Queenscourt Hospice,
Town Lane, Kew, Southport, Lancashire,
as you leave the church or later through L Hawkins
& Sons
Funeral Directors, Worple Road, Leatherhead.
RIP
David Oliver
1957-2009
Jay Bristow: 8 Feb 2009
|
Debra adds:
I would like to say a very big
thank you to Gordon, my brother who so beautifully
and lovingly produced the ‘DVD Montage’ of David
with the song I wrote called 'I Will Try'.
There are plans
to make available the short DVD of David's life shown during
the service.
If you wish to be kept informed when
it is published please contact the Parish Office stating David Oliver DVD.
At Easter 2009, if not before,
it is hoped to publish an audio recording
of the service on CD, proceeds to the Queenscourt
Hospice.
If you wish to be kept informed when it is
published please contact the Parish Office stating David Oliver CD.
Queenscourt Hospice
will benefit from the sale of these items
A David photo album
Some Memories of David
from the March 2009 Parish
Magazine
Family, friends and congregation came together in a most
moving way to celebrate the life of David Oliver, the church
Director of Music from 2002 until his death on 13 January
2009 at the age of 51. His funeral service on 5 February
lasted nearly an hour and a half – almost unprecedented
in the Anglican tradition, and at times was almost like a
concert, with the congregation bursting into spontaneous
applause. Much of David and Debra's music was included in the
service, some of it for the first time. The church was full
in spite of the fact that the heaviest snowfall for a
generation a few days before meant that many people were
unable to attend.
Alison Wright
from the March 2009 Parish Magazine
The Choir and Music Group remember
David's untimely death on 13 January was a great
blow to the choir. He was a delight and a challenge to work
with; he was an inspirational leader and had professionally
high standards from even the least experienced singers. He
first came to our notice at an open meeting in 1995 held to
discuss the future of choral music in our church, when he, a
complete stranger, stood up and suggested that he could take
on the role of music director. In the event, he did not
pursue it at that time, but he eventually took up the
position of Director of Music in 2002 following Chris
Slater's retirement. By this time he had already written some
pieces for our choir, and he was to write many more over the
next six years.
David had so much music inside him and we could often tell
his mood by whatever he was tinkering away at whilst we
sorted ourselves out. If we sang well he would occasionally
give us a nod: praise indeed! If not, he would come down to
the vestry and ask us where we thought it had gone wrong.
His particular strength as a composer was that he could
tailor his music to the voices available, so there were
soprano descant or obligato passages for Claire, and the alto
section were often challenged by tricky intervals or off-beat
entries. He was often great fun to be with and had several
pet phrases we could quote in our sleep: "thar's now't
like a good start" and "that was nothing like a
good start", or just "you're late". His most
frequent one was "no rall" if we inadvertently
slowed down in places through the piece. We heard this so
often that one year we created a carol entitled "No
rall" set to the tune of The First Nowell. If he was
bored during a long sermon, he would slide slowly diagonally
off the organ stool and pretend to snore on the floor; he
used to pull faces at us across the aisle and keeping a
straight face was often the biggest challenge of all!
David seemed equally comfortable with the large-scale
pieces like Psalm 150 sung at his funeral and the simpler
Taizé chants which we sing during the Communion or at the
Evening Reflection services. These simpler pieces have become
special to us, and were to David too. He often played musical
games, playing film themes or other well known tunes
concealed within the ecclesiastical recessional pieces the
congregation heard. Then he would come bounding down to the
vestry and ask, "Well, what was it? Did you get the
tunes?"
As a music group, some of us got to know him even better.
Every time we sang with him our singing always improved. Even
the most mundane hymn tune in his hands would become a snazzy
little ditty! We met at each other's houses and over a glass
of wine would work on the same phrases over and over until he
was satisfied. Recently, David and Debra wrote a piece
especially for us, Worship and Praise Your Name,
which we sang at his funeral. He had composed the outline and
brought it to a practice session, then as we were learning
it, he gave us further instructions: "Claire, sing
this-, Julie, sing that; Doug, this rhythm-, Martin, those
chords". Rapidly it transformed from a framework to a
whole multi-level composition.
Over the last year or so David was often in pain but he
was determined to carry on as long as possible. Even then, he
hoped to be back in the New Year, but sadly this was not to
be and his passing has left a gap that will be difficult to
fill. His funeral on 5 February included a number of his own
compositions and we were glad to welcome fellow singers from
Christ Church URC, Leatherhead Methodist Church, Mickleham,
the Pilgrim Singers, Carol and Martin Coslett from Betchworth
and "extras" from our own congregation. We are
grateful to Paul Dodds for conducting and rehearsing the
augmented choir and to Geoffrey Harvey and Peter Holt who
shared the organ playing on the day.
David was a good friend as well as a talented leader. It
really is hard to believe he's gone, but he will live on in
the music he composed and the skills and confidence he gave
us.
from the March 2009 Parish Magazine
Hedley Kay: When David first
joined us I particularly remember the time when a small group
of us were singing a new worship song in church when David
came up afterwards and said he was "within an inch"
of joining us. His enthusiasm and real love of music was
obvious from this encounter and the Music Group was very
fortunate in having several years under his skilled
leadership. I will never forget him and his many gifts and
will always treasure the memories and privilege of being able
to work alongside him.
from the March 2009 Parish Magazine
Linda Heath: David had many
facets to his life and we shall all remember different ones.
What stand out to me are his musicianship and the warmth of
his personality. As a fellow musician, I had a great regard
for his talent, and he was also a very good friend to me. How
fortunate we all were to have such a talented and versatile
Director of Music – he will be missed by all who knew
him.
from the March 2009 Parish Magazine
Roger Lynch: Janette and I will
especially remember David for the beautiful anthem he
composed for us last year and for the musical encouragement
he gave to our Peter when he was at the Parish Church.
from the March 2009 Parish Magazine
Peter Leith: There are several
great memories. He was the "Master of his Music"
and an inspiring musician to work with, possessing that
essential sense of humour!
One rehearsal stands out, however. The basses probably
received more criticism than any other section of the choir.
Perhaps it was justifiable! On one memorable occasion, a
difficult Psalm setting was being rehearsed. David called
out, "What planet are the basses on?" After
struggling with the relevance of singing the merits of
"Johab's washbowl", I replied, "On Mars, the
bringer of war!" David was amused, the psalm was
finished and performed to the wishes of Johab, and the basses
escaped criticism until the next rehearsal. Happy times!
from the March 2009 Parish Magazine
Frances Presley: I shall always
remember his enthusiasm when the reconstruction of the Thomas
Parker organ was suggested, the eagerness with which he
watched its installation and his delight when he could
actually sit and play it. It happened to have been installed
very shortly after his 50th birthday and, as he said, the
best birthday present he had ever had. Such was his affinity
with the organ that, a few hours before the Organfest started
in November, he rang me as he left the hospice in Esher to
see if he could come into the Church and see it, as he knew
that he would otherwise have been taking part. That must have
been the last time he saw it, and maybe even come into the
Church.
As his friend Dex said in his tribute, David always
underrated his own abilities, and it took a lot of persuasion
to get him to play even a short piece to open the inaugural
concert as he felt that he would not be able to do it
justice. How wrong he was in that, and what a legacy of music
he has left us.
from the March 2009 Parish Magazine
Another tribute to David Oliver
Peter Ford: On Sunday 8 February a quarter peal of
Plain Bob Major, consisting of 1264 changes, was rung in
thanksgiving for the life of David Oliver, Musical Director,
Organist and bell ringer. Treble, Jenny Gordon; 2, Ron
Deserens; 3, Rosemary Henderson; 4, John Aronson; 5, Peter
Ford; 6, Rex Woodland; 7, Bill Hibbert; 8, Quentin Armitage,
who also conducted.
from the Decenber 2009
Parish Magazine
David Oliver Memorial Concert
What a wealth of talent! Both from the Pro Corda Baroque
Ensemble and from Graham Thorp, organist. They were the
performers at the David Oliver Memorial Concert in the church
on Saturday 17 October. The Pro Corda group
consisted of a small ensemble of only six players, all music
students, led by Rhiannon Randle, aged 16 years. They were
absolutely first rate, without having to make any allowance
for their youth. The programme featured works by Purcell and
Handel, both of whom have anniversaries this year, and a very
short work by Rhiannon herself which, again, was superbly
played.
Meanwhile, what of Graham Thorp? Before
playing on the Thomas Parker organ of 1766, he spoke about it
with such enthusiasm and affection that it was a delight to
have a soloist who thoroughly appreciated what a fine
instrument it is. He also explained about the sounds and
effects of some of the stops he would be using –
trumpet, bass horn, etc. Both his solos and the two Handel
concertos were a joy to hear, and this was in no small part
because he had taken the time and trouble to put in a lot of
practice on the instrument to become really familiar with it.
Our thanks go to him and to the talented Pro Corda ensemble
for a most enjoyable concert which was very well attended.
The concert raised Ł1,070, which will go to
the Queenscourt Hospice in Southport, Lancashire, where David
spent his last few weeks. This money willgo to the
Queenscourt "Music for Patients iPod Fund" to buy
iPods with suitable equipment for the patients so that they
can each listen to as much music as they like. What a fitting
memorial to David.
Linda Heath
from Debra Andrew-Oliver in the October
2010 magazine
Dearest Friends,
It feels like only yesterday that David and celebrated our
wedding day with you all and yet life has taken me upon the
longest journey since that happiest of moments.
I know many of you are aware of the musical
project so close to my heart that I began to work on shortly
before David died. The album Child of The Universe
is about my life journey, the experiences that have shaped
me, the searching questions that I have had on my personal
journey so far and the understanding that has brought me to
know God and myself. I hope that the songs both musically and
lyrically will bring strength and courage to others and will
also help to shine a light of hope and happiness to everyone
who hears it.
I will be performing all the songs from the
album with the musicians who recorded it with me (all friends
of David and I), on Thursday 21 October at The Leatherhead
Theatre as part of the Arts Alive Festival and I
hope very much that you will be able to come along and join
us for what I know will be a lovely evening.
There is an opportunity to buy a copy of the
album on the day of the concert or if you wish to have a copy
prior to that day (so you already know the songs and can sing
along!) please contact me via www.debraandrew.com
I also hope to raise money for Princess Alice
Hospice where David stayed briefly.
Images: from Parish website unless otherwise stated
If you wish to add your recollections of David to this page
please contact Frank Haslam, the editor of these pages.
page created 5 Feb 2009, updated 31 Oct 2010
return to
Remembrance home page