David Cornell BUTTERFIELD

BUTTERFIELD, David Cornell April 6, 1948 - June 17, 2017 Passed away peacefully at home on June 17, 2017 at the age of 69 years, surrounded by his loving family, following a brief but brave battle with renal cancer. David is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Norma, his son Stewart (Jennifer), his granddaughter Sonnet, his brothers Lyman (Joan), Alfred (Pamela), and nieces, Elizabeth, Lili, Sari and Taylor, nephews, Dan, Jordan and Evan, and godchildren, all of whom he cherished. Born in Manhattan and raised in Connecticut, David's peaceful conscience led him to Montreal in 1969, after deserting the US army, where he met the "love of his life", Norma, on the grounds of McGill University. They married in 1971 in Montreal. After living a back-to-the-land life in Lund, BC for 7 years, where Stewart was born, the family moved to Victoria in 1977. David began his real estate development career, first as a self made carpenter, renovating and restoring old heritage buildings, then as a developer, building projects which were union pension funded and union built. He began with social housing, then moved on to a shopping centre, the BCGEU building and the revitalization of the waterfront in James Bay. Most recently, he was a partner with the Scia'new First Nation (Beecher Bay), envisioning, developing and building the sustainable, colourful seaside village of Spirit Bay. David was a dreamer and a visionary, who by his very will, against all adversity, was able to develop his dreams. His drive for superior quality, beauty and permanence, led him to forever change the Inner Harbour with his Harbourside and Shoal Point developments, both award winning projects, built on former brownfield sites. David was passionate about sustainable development, which to him was, "development which tries to do the right thing from an ecological perspective". Its broader definition was development, "which meets the needs of the present generation without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs", and which includes the three pillars of economic development, social responsibility, and ecological development. David moved on to plan and design sustainable new towns and communities in North America, Bamberton and Spirit Bay in Canada, Civano in the US, and Loreto Bay in Mexico. His primary motivation was to develop and implement innovative and new ideas for living, where people lived and interacted in communities in which they would thrive, rather than in isolated suburban communities. He was fearless and had tremendous confidence in his ideas. Aside from the built environment, which David knew shaped our experience of life, David positively impacted people who crossed his path. He was known by all to possess an amazing intellect and curiosity, a heart that easily embraced you, a soul that instinctively knew you, and a love that allowed him to serve up transformative life lessons to anyone in his orbit. So many life long friendships and marriages were formed in his powerful, loving presence. The tributes and stories that have arrived since his passing are a testament to the impact he had on people from all over the world. If you asked David who he was, he often said, "Who I am is I love my wife". His advice to all, "You have one job in this life and that is to be happy." David was laid to rest as he wished, in a green burial by Earth's Option (earthsoption.com). A private Celebration of Life will be held. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Victoria Hospice Foundation (https://www.victoriahospice.org/donate) who lovingly supported the family through David's last days. And please, go be happy.