Dave was born in Balfron, Scotland and came to Canada at the age of six months old. It wouldn't be until almost 40 years later that Lilias would come to Canada also from Balfron for a holiday and by chance meet Dave. He asked her out to the movies the day they met, and when Lilias went back home to Scotland, Dave would call her every Saturday evening. He would even drive to Alameda to make the call so that nobody would listen in and know that he was making calls all the way to Scotland from Canada. Two years later they were happily married and Lilias moved to Canada to be with the love of her life and she must have loved him to put up with the Canadian winters.
Anyone who knew Dave knew how much of an honest and hardworking man he was. He worked hard up until the spring of 2013, when his health began to interfere with his work. Despite stepping aside from running the machinery, Dave was still in the field making sure everyone was keeping busy and doing the job right.
Not only did he work hard, but he took pride in his work and his farm equipment. Everything was done with care, he was so meticulous with his machinery and who ran it. Especially his bale wagon, no one was allowed to drive it but him and if the bales weren't the right size the balermen would be hearing a word or two from Dave. When Will and Scott were young, Dave would even put a bolt in the gear shifts so those boys couldn't get going too fast in his valued machinery.
Dave also loved his dogs, and his dogs loved him. Dave was heartbroken when he lost his border collie Buster, but it wasn't long before he was in love with his new friend Cooper. Every time he opened the door to his truck, his dog was jumping in ready to go wherever Dave was going. Not long before Dave passed, William took Cooper to visit him in the hospital. William expected Coop to be a bit apprehensive, but as soon as Coop was let out of the truck he raced up the ramp to the hospital doors, and even though he had never been there before, he knew exactly where Dave was.
Dave wasn't a man of many words, although he did like to tease his nieces and nephews, and us kids, but he cared deeply for the people in his life. Whether the words were there or not, you knew Dave loved his family more than anything. He passed on his hardworking and sensible ways to his son and it was easy to see how proud he was of the extraordinary and thoughtful man his son had become.
Clearly Dave was excited to have a boy because one of the first toys Dave bought for Will was a small pedal John Deere tractor. At six months old, Dave was already preparing Will for life in the field. Eventually Will was able to drive the big boy tractors, and with Dave's guidance Will became one heck of a farmer, one that Dave trusted with the precious farm he had dedicated his entire life to.
Everyone knew that Dave preferred his John Deere and everything in the yard shone green. Only recently did Will stray from the beloved brand and purchase a Case floater, which he blamed on his future son-in-law Dustin, knowing that Dave wouldn't be happy about the change or the expense, being the frugal John-Deere-loving man he was. Dave was always telling Will, 'it's easy to make a dollar, the hard part is knowing how to spend it'.
He was a great man, husband, father, and friend. Even though we've all been this saddened by this news, it can't be overlooked that he lived a long and prosperous life doing what he loved surrounded by his wonderful family and his friends, whether person, dog, or cow. His life's work and strong honest character lives on in the farm and in his son William. His memory will continue to be kept alive by all those close to him. We will all miss him very much.
The family of David Brown would like to thank Dr. Meyer and the nursing staff at the Arcola hospital for all the care. Thank you to family and friends for the many kind gifts of food and support, and a special thank you to Bryan Brown for helping to drive Lilias wherever she needed to go. And thank you to the Orsted Funeral Home for all their work, and to Kathy for the beautiful flowers.
