Former Moss Vale High School teacher, Mr John Davids, passed away in hospital on Saturday, April 3, following a fall at his home.
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In recent years John had been caring for his wife, Gladys, who is battling Parkinson's Disease.
John was in excellent health, until he fell while trying to assist his wife up off the floor, after she suffered a fall.
His family have supplied the following tribute to his life:
John Davids was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1934.
He studied teaching and obtained multiple degrees in education, the arts and history.
He met the love of his life Gladys Luter, and they later married in 1963.
They welcomed their first born Lee-Ann in 1967 in South Africa.
They welcomed their second child Jodi that year.
After struggling to find work in Canada, they were saved by a teaching opportunity that found them flying to Australia to commence the next stage of their lives.
That new opportunity was at Moss Vale High School, where John started teaching in the Social Studies Department in 1972.
In 1973 John and Gladys completed their multi-national family with the birth of their third daughter Karen.
After teaching for 13 years at Moss Vale High School, John left for Casula High, to head up the Social Science department. He stayed there until he retired in 1994.
After retirement, John continued to dabble in casual teaching, and returned to Moss Vale High until he retired again in 2000.
From 2000 until his passing on Saturday morning, John devoted his time to his family, which expanded with six grandchildren along the way.
Together with Gladys, John spent the next 20 years continuing to live the good life in the Southern Highlands.
Through his teaching, John was very well-known across the community, with previous students constantly stopping him in the street to share their fond memories of him back in their school days.
John loved a good chat with both friends and strangers.
He has made so many friends in his 49 years in the Southern Highlands through all walks of life.
He will be missed by many and fondly remembered by all.
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