He was received into the arms of the loving Creator on April 9, 2026.
David was born in 1934 in Neustadt Ontario to the late David Schaus and Orillia Wettlaufer Schaus. In 1962 he married the love of his life, Jean Allensen. Their marriage was blessed by their two children Gayle and John and their grandchildren Alex (Nick) and Hannah. In January Dave was thrilled to meet Elias his first great grandchild.
Dave worked for a plumbing wholesaler at the same company for 47 years which demonstrates a little about his character and what made him tick. He had roles in sales and purchasing. After his successful career he began his second act with an long and satisfying retirement.
Dave will be remembered for his love of Creation. He had a great respect for the natural world, for all creatures and forms of life and for planet earth and all of her people. This was evidenced by his hobbies and the people he met along his life’s journey. He was inspired by the heavens, the stars and the weather. He was known to have people phone him up to find out if it should be fine to hang out a load of laundry!
His true passion was Birdwatching and was considered an accomplished birder among his peers. Dave was delighted to share and was approachable. In the field he always inspired others by sharing his considerable knowledge on the subject. Often he could be found making a new friend beside the country roads by showing them an unusual bird through his telescope. He was a founding member of the Saugeen Field Naturalists and an integral member in the early days of the Bruce Birding Club. In the fall the last unusual bird Dave saw was a Marbled Godwit at Point Clark. What a spectacular way to end his birdwatching career.
Dave was a very spiritual individual and was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Walkerton. Since covid he worshipped with a core group of people on Zoom taking advantage of what technology could offer him.
Dave is survived by his sister Margaret (Donn) Bohnert and Sisters in Law Evelyn Kaufman and Diane McDonald (Jakob) and his nieces and nephews.
Special Grandfather to the Shinwari family.
Dave was predeceased by his brothers Wilmer (Dora), Melvin, Harold (Mae) and Arnold (Rita), His parents in law Reuben and Hulda Allensen and Brothers in law Carl Kaufman and John McDonald.
Friends and relatives are invited to visitation from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at Cameron’s in Walkerton.
As expressions of sympathy, donations to Walkerton Food Bank or Saugeen Hospice would be appreciated by the family. Donations and condolences may be made online at www.cameronfuneralhomes.com
