Longtime harness racing industry participant David Jeffs Woolley of Langley, B.C. passed away on Nov. 19, 2025 at the age of 91.

David was born to Lord Harold Woolley and Annie (nee Jeffs) in Hapsford, England, a few minutes before his twin brother and lifelong best friend, Peter. He is predeceased by Freda, his wife of 66 years who was the love of his life and with whom he played endless games of backgammon over the kitchen table. He is also predeceased by his granddaughter, Natalie; his son-in-law, Hardel; his brothers, Graham, Ewart and Peter; and his sister, Eleanor. He is survived by his children, Caroline, Hugh (Sandra) and Alastair; his grandchildren, Ben (Kara), Christian (Anita), India (Cole), Sylvia (Luis), Joseph and James; and his great-grandchildren, Kieran, Frank and Rosa; his sister, Christine (David); and Peter’s wife, Lois.

David’s mother died when he was three years old and he went to live with his aunt Ethel in the Lake District town of Workington, where he first met Freda, who lived next door. At five, David and Peter attended Kingsmead boarding school in Hoylake whose strict Christian philosophy instilled in David a Puritan work ethic that he maintained his entire life. After Kingsmead, David and Peter attended Dauntsey’s school in Wiltshire, where David excelled in sports including rugby and boxing and where he ran an underground sports book for his fellow students. While not in school, David lived on the family’s dairy farm near Chester, where his love for horses and horse racing developed.

After high school, David attended Seale Hayne Agricultural College in Devon, where he learned many useful life skills such as farming and construction and continued to play competitive rugby and bomb around the country on his Sunbeam motorbike. After Seale Hayne, David returned to the family farm for a year to manage the milking operation and play rugby for Chester Rugby Club during which time he won the Merseyside Seven’s tournament, one of the largest seven’s events in England.

In order to fulfil his compulsory military service, David enlisted in the Royal Air Force at Tern Hill in Shrophire, where he learned to fly various aircraft. After leaving the air force, David travelled to Canada to visit his older brother, Ewart, who’d come to Canada to learn about North American farming techniques but ended up attending medical school at UBC. While visiting Ewart, David saw an ad posted by Trans Canada Airlines (the forerunner to Air Canada) looking for pilots. Never intending to stay for long, David applied and spent the next 35 years flying planes as large as the Boeing 747 and became both a captain and a check pilot. Air Canada allowed David to see the world including North America, Europe, Japan and India. This extensive travel gave David a diverse perspective on how different cultures lived under different political systems and varying economic environments, enabling him to talk to anyone about anything.

When he wasn’t flying, David continued to play rugby and was captain of the West Van Barbarians (which merged to form the Capilano Rugby Club). After retiring from rugby, David took up both running and squash. He was part of the first group of people to jog in Stanley Park and was once stopped by the police and was asked why he was running. David joined the Evergreen Squash Club, where he served as maintenance director for many years (which meant doing all of the maintenance work himself).

David loved to figure things by reading how-to books. He taught himself to ski and regularly drove to Whistler during its early years. He also taught himself to play bridge and read countless books on the subject. While flying for Air Canada, David would frequent clubs all over the world including the Green Street Bridge Club in London. He single-handedly built a large summer home at Spotlight Cove on Galiano Island which he designed himself and constructed with materials he salvaged from demolition sites around Vancouver. To complete the house, he attended night school to learn plumbing and electrical skills. Again, single-handedly, David constructed a 40 by 20 foot swimming pool in his backyard in West Vancouver. David fixed all of his own cars with parts he salvaged from U-Pick lots in Richmond and Surrey.

David was a trail-blazer in his own small way. Disillusioned that the 1970's West Vancouver school system was not strict enough, he unsuccessfully ran for school board on a platform of standardizing school dress. Despite losing, he was the first political candidate to hold a placard at the entrance of the Lions Gate Bridge, a tradition that was continued for decades afterwards by countless candidates.

After retiring, David and Freda moved from West Vancouver to a 40-acre farm in Murrayville near Langley airport where they bred Standardbred racehorses. David taught himself to train horses and owned numerous stakes winners at Fraser Downs in Cloverdale including Bobby Dazzler, winner of B.C.'s Two-Year-Old and Three-Year-Old Colt of the Year. David volunteered for many positions within the Standardbred industry including serving several years as a director of Harness Racing B.C.

In 2024, David and Freda sold their farm and moved to Burnaby, where David religiously monitored the stock and commodity markets (trading with various put-call strategies that he would dream up), played internet bridge and wagered while streaming online horse racing from all over the world. In his final year, he was cared for by Gemma, his daughter-in-law, Sandra and Caroline. David taught Gemma to play gin rummy, and they loved to watch all sports (but especially the Canucks) as well as Jeopardy, Wheel Of Fortune and Family Feud.

Despite losing his mother and growing up during the war, David had an amazing life and lived through prosperous times in the most beautiful city in the world. For this, David was extremely grateful. David took immense pleasure in the small things in life. Nothing could make him happier than a legendary burger and Nat’s Pale Ale at the White Spot.

David was laid to rest beside his beloved Freda in Murrayville cemetery, located across the street from their farm of 40 years where they had lived with their dogs and cats, surrounded by deer, coyotes, rabbits and squirrels. A celebration of David’s life will be held at VanDusen Gardens at noon on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, which would have marked David’s 92nd birthday.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of David Woolley.