Let Abilities Work Partnership Society

“It is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you that a good friend of mine and ours passed away last night at the Yarmouth hospital. David I loved you like a brother and you blessed me with your will to help others.” - Claredon Robichaud

Claredon's words here speak for the entire disabled community. Our heart felt condolences are extended to his loving wife Kathleen and to other members of the Mooney family.

David was a tireless worker, well known for his courage, persistence, and advocacy and as a voice and force for positive change in our midst. His contributions to the disability community, in areas like community based transportation will survive him and be remembered as will his wonderful sense of humour.

The funeral will take place in Yarmouth on Friday.

David will be greatly missed by us all.(...Continued)

Here is the full obituary as found on the Huskilson funeral home web site:


MOONEY, David Samuel Treen – 51, Deerfield. It is with great sadness that the family of David Samuel Treen Mooney, age 51 announces his passing on July 19th, 2011. David was the son of Aurel Mooney and the late W.F. (Bill) Mooney.

He is survived by his wife Kathleen d’Entremont-Mooney, brother Bill (Theresa), Goose Bay, NL, sisters Lynda Willey (Norman), Crofton, BC, Karen White (Emery), Yarmouth, Patti d’Entremont (Weldon), Canaan, Beth Wood (Laurie), Raynadton, Leslie Dixon (Trevor), Erieau ON, and brother-in-law Michael d’Entremont (Doreen), Raynardton, and several nieces and nephews.

David’s work experience was extensive and ranged from surveying in Alberta, to lobster fishing in Nova Scotia. David later went into business for himself when he and his brother Bill owned and operated several restaurans. He then worked in the retail pharmacy business, managing the family owned “Shoppers Drug Mart” in Yarmouth and he later worked as “process manager” for Acadian Seaplants in Charlesville, an innovative business which specializes in cultivating seaweed for the Japanese market.

David has survived many personal challenges and has remained positive and upbeat despite circumstances that could have been seen by most people as very discouraging. David had to withdraw from university at the age of 22 when he was diagnosed with cancer. He fought and won that battle but in 2001, David’s life changed suddenly when he became critically ill with a severe blood infection.

After spending eight months in the QEII hospital and enduring countless surgeries and months of rehab, he returned home and had to learn how to adapt in a world that was not necessarily “accessible”. David lost his two hands and two feet as a result of this illness but his life was spared. His wife Kathleen, “became” his hands.

He will forever be thankful to the nurses and doctors at the Yarmouth Regional and QEII hospitals who persevered on a motto of blind faith, administering life support when hope was questionable. Fitted with four prostheses David had to learn how to do everything differently. Ever resourceful, David’s motto became “it’s not what you’ve lost, it’s what you have left”. An eternal optimist, David set out into the world looking at life from a new perspective and with a new appreciation for the challenges faced by people with disabilities.

David had been active in fundraising for charitable organizations all his life, and was usually the one leading the parade.

Two things that David had not lost was his humour and voice and he decided to use his “gift to gab” to help the disabled community. Since 2003, David was very active and served on 9 community and provincial boards, representing the interests of the disabled and the disadvantaged. His participation with the NS League for Equal Opportunities gave him the opportunity to meet with the Provincial Caucuses regularly to request changes in policy from government leaders.

In 2004, David was awarded the International Peace Medal from the YMCA. The Peace Medal is awarded to people or groups that have no special resources, wealth, status or position. As per the Yarmouth YMCA CEO, Barrie MacGregor, “David has shown enormous courage, strength of character and a commitment to his community”.

In 2008 David was honored with the Mel Hebb Awards’ “Encore Award” given to a person who has contributed significantly to their community. In response to this award, Sandra Wood, past Executive Director of the Community INClusion Society in Kings and eastern Annapolis counties quoted the following: "He’s so dynamic and embodies everything the disabled community stands for — integrity and determination. He’s amazing, constantly giving of himself. Mooney is a person of great influence. His enthusiasm is contagious. Every person he meets is touched by his optimism and his courage.... as much energy as he has spent in serving his numerous community groups over the past 6 years. He excels at everything he does and he cares deeply about the issues of concern to the people in his community.”

David’s newest battle was fighting cancer for a second time. For the past year, he was receiving treatment for a new cancer, T-cell lymphoma, which ultimately took his life on July 19th, 2011.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, July 21 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at Huskilson’s Funeral Home, 29 Albert Street, Yarmouth.

The funeral will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 22, 2011 at Saint Ambrose Cathedral, Albert St., Father Henry Smolenaars officiating. Interment will follow in Our Lady of Calvary Cemetery, Yarmouth. Family flowers only. Donations in memory of David may be made to the Gilles Boudreau and Friends Fund or the VON. You may leave messages of condolence or sign the on-line guestbook by visiting www.huskilson.net
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Published by Gaspereau Press, Whispers is a collection of poems written between 2000 and 2009 by Brian Malay (1983-2010).

Compiled and edited after his death, Whispers provides insight into the joy of what it means to be fully alive and seeking answers to everyday mysteries, as well as the pain and sorrow of Brian’s truly exceptional nature.

From his early years until the last days of his life, Brian expressed himself through his writing. He was an imaginative free thinker whose poetry reflects a keen sense of his own world and the world about him. (...Continued)

Although Brian lived with schizophrenia, his diagnosis did not disable him; conversely, he worked harder at his writing and discovered it to be a wonderful expression of his creativity. Ultimately, poetry simply flowed from him, thus making him a true master of the written word.

Brian’s mother, Cindy Crowell, is kindly donating proceeds from the sales of Whispers to the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia.

To place an order for Whispers, please mail a $20.00 cheque made out to the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, along with the address to which the book should be shipped, to:

Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia
Room B23, E.C. Purdy Building
P.O. Box 1004, Station Main
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
B2Y 3Z9

Orders with payment by credit card are also accepted. Please call the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia at (902) 465-2601 or 1-800-465-2601 (toll-free in Nova Scotia).

Portrait of Brian Malay by Jared Malay. Please click on the image to magnify it.

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