John David Russell was born and grew up in Toronto. For much of his life he lived in Toronto, where he also worked. He would eventually move on to make homes for himself and his son (William James Russell) in these communities: Mississauga, Etobicoke, Guelph, Burlington, and most recently Oakville (Bronte) Ontario.

On the day David died, his surviving sister (Rosemary Louise Russell, Dundas), his son (Bill, Toronto) and a close friend of 50 years discovered him at rest in his Bronte condo. He was 72 years. David is predeceased by his mother (Mary Alberta Russell, nee Walker, of Toronto, deceased 1976), his father (William Roy Russell, of Toronto, deceased 1994) and his older sister (Sharon Ann Russell, of Toronto, deceased 2005). Dave’s son Bill (Taylor), his sister Rosemary (Bob) and his former spouse Debbie Perkins (Dave Perkins) are grateful to the Halton Regional Police for their incredible kindness on September 17.

Dave, an MBA from Western University, was an experienced executive with well over 25 years of expertise in matters relating to corporate and commercial finance; asset-based lending; mergers and acquisitions; and financial restructuring. Prior to founding Heartland Capital Partners, David held senior roles with Royal Bank of Canada and Danbury Financial Services. He participated at the board level on more than a dozen companies and demonstrated a flair for directing strategic planning processes.

David was responsible for the issuance of more than $3 billion in investments ranging from asset-based lending vehicles to mezzanine and private equity placements. He advised and facilitated funding arrangements for numerous corporations involved in mergers and acquisitions.

Dave was a natural athlete and a passionate fan of all sports. As a boy he played Junior B hockey, eventually becoming a strong candidate for the Junior A’s. He chose, however, to step away from that level of hockey in favour of his academics. He continued to play pick-up into his forties. David became an outstanding tennis player as a young man and remained a top competitor for several years at in-house league and inter-club championship tennis through his beloved Boulevard Club (Toronto). He was a golfer and played with friends and business associates into his sixties.

Details for the visitation and funeral service at Mount Pleasant Funeral Centre can be found below.

Donations in Dave’s name (in lieu of flowers please) with the Canadian Cancer Society or Canadian Mental Health Association (Toronto) will be greatly appreciated by David’s family.

Directions to Mount Pleasant Funeral Centre: Enter through the East gate (turn left if heading South on Mount Pleasant, turn right if heading North). Following signs for 'funeral centre,' take the second right, and the first left. For a detailed map of the cemetery, click 'Media,' then 'Documents' at the top of this page.

Livestream access: A link will appear at the top of this page in the minutes prior to the 12:00pm service. If the link is not appearing, simply click refresh (usually a circular arrow icon) on your browser.