Municipal official, community activist.
Born at Johnstone, Scotland on 11 November 1940, he came to Canada in 1955 with his parents. The family settled in Winnipeg and he completed his education at Daniel McIntyre Collegiate. In 1962, he began a career with the Manitoba Telephone System, first at Winnipeg, then for a few years at Selkirk, and for the remainder of his career at Eriksdale. He was employed by MTS for 33 years without missing a day of work. He retired on 11 November 1995.
He was active in the Eriksdale community, serving with the Eriksdale Credit Union for 33 years, initially on the Credit Union Committee and later as a member of the Board of Directors. He was Reeve for the RM of Eriksdale for 13 years, beginning in 1993. He also served on the board of the Interlake Regional Health Authority and was a member of the Viking Lodge in Gimli.
In 1962, he married Eileen Papuga (1940-2020) and they went on to have three children. He was described as a jack-of-all-trades and having many interests. He enjoyed working around his home and had the ability to build and fix anything, from cutting wood, to plumbing, to installing new siding on the house. A particular source of enjoyment for him was his involvement with Karate, where he achieved his Black Belt, and in Judo, where he earned his Brown Belt. He was also a teacher in both disciplines.
He died at Eriksdale on 11 April 2012 and was buried in the Eriksdale Municipal Cemetery. On 22 November 2012, he was posthumously awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to his community. His wife, Eileen McClelland, received the honour on his behalf.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 14 April 2012.
“David McLelland,” Synchronizer, Ancestry.
David McLelland, FindAGrave.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 13 July 2026
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