Obituary of John Eric Davies

DAVIES, John Eric - professor, pragmatist, and extreme angler, has died at age 58. Born on May 22, 1952 in Cardiff, Wales, John was second of four children born to Glyn Davies, the esteemed Welsh economist and his Danish wife, Grethe. After a childhood spent exploring the fishing holes and forests of industrial South Wales, John graduated from the University of Aberystwyth with a double honours BSc. Degree in Economics and Geography. In 1973 John joined the Voluntary Service Overseas and worked for three years as a development economist in the Fiji Islands. In 1976, he returned to the UK with his Fijian wife, Manuqalo Komaitai, to pursue a masters degree in Management and Technology, this time at Cardiff University. The University invited him to stay on and pursue a PhD in economics, which he completed in 1980. John took a position at Acadia University in 1981and retired in January 2011 as Department Head. He was named Professor Emeritus this spring. John was a devoted angler and spent years fishing Nova Scotia's lakes and streams and hiking her beautiful countryside. In July 2010, John landed a big one in the Minas Basin and holds the unofficial world record for the largest spiny dogfish ever caught. He died on April 13, surrounded by his family after a six-month battle with small cell prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife, Manu, his children, Eleanor Beaton, Talica Davies and Glyn Davies, his grandsons, Noah and Tobias Beaton, and his siblings Roy, Kenneth and Linda Wise. A memorial service will be held on Thursday April 21 at 11 a.m. at the Acadia University Chapel with Rev. Bruce Matthews presiding: a reception to follow.